CM approves Rs 3 bn, 600-bed Larkano hospital project, to be completed in two years

KARACHI, Dec 26 (APP): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday approved the progress, design, scope, and financial framework of a 600-bed hospital in Larkano, describing it as a major healthcare project for upper Sindh.
The hospital is expected to be completed within two years. The groundbreaking ceremony is planned for March 2026, with the first tower scheduled for completion within one year and the second tower in the following year.
The chief minister issued these directives to the Planning & Development (P&D) and Health departments. The meeting was attended by Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Chairman Planning & Development Najam Shah, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary to the CM Raheem Shaikh, Health Secretary Rehan Baloch, Dr Saeed Qureshi, and Project Director Hospital Kashif Khuhro, while the Commissioner Larkano participated via video link.
The chief minister said that the hospital project had been taken up on the instructions of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. In line with the chairman’s vision, the facility will provide quality healthcare to the people of Upper Sindh.
Briefing the meeting, officials informed the CM that the Larkano hospital will be a six-storey facility with a basement, to be constructed in two phases. It will have a total capacity of 596 beds and will function as a 600-bed tertiary care hospital.
The hospital plan, as approved by the chief minister, will be completed in two phases. Phase I of the project includes a six-floor tower with a basement and will provide 288 nursing-care beds, 92 emergency beds, and 48 intensive-care beds. Phase II will add 144 nursing-care beds and 24 ICU beds, bringing the total capacity to 432 nursing-care beds, 92 ER beds and 72 ICU beds in the second tower.
The CM said that the hospital will feature modern emergency services, outpatient departments, radiology, dialysis, laboratories, a blood bank, endoscopy, day-surgery units, eight operating theaters, pre- and post-operative wards, recovery areas, and specialised medical and surgical ICUs. Rehabilitation services, administrative offices, and attendants’ waiting areas are also included in the design.
The basement will house essential support facilities, including kitchen and staff dining areas, CSSD, laundry, mortuary, medical gas plant, waste-management system, storage areas, and loading-unloading docks.
On the ground floor, major components will include emergency triage, radiology, outpatient departments (medical and surgical), pharmacy, dialysis unit, ER observation wards for male and female patients, rehabilitation, and administration.
The chief minister was briefed that the total estimated cost of civil works stands at approximately Rs3.108 billion. This includes the main hospital building, additional civil items, non-scheduled works, and external development.
CM Murad Ali Shah emphasised that the Larkano 600-bed hospital is a flagship healthcare project aimed at providing modern and affordable medical facilities to the people of upper Sindh. He directed the concerned departments to ensure transparency, strict quality control, and timely execution of the project.
The meeting concluded with directions to finalise procedural requirements and move forward with implementation in March 2026.