‘Lady Willingdon ain’t going nowhere!’

Punjab government is in for a rough time over the issue of relocating the Lady Willingdon Hospital without consulting the prime stakeholders, the people of the area.
The unaware people of Taxali gate, walled city and other adjacent areas of Lady Willingdon Hospital said it was impossible that the Punjab government was shifting the hospital elsewhere, some even laughed at the idea.
Not only the residents but other people associated to the hospital and the dental college (The de’Montmorency College of Dentistry) claimed that it was nothing but a rumor.
The Lady Willingdon Hospital and The de’Montmorency College of Dentistry are planned to be relocated in a drive that was initiated over 25 years ago by the then governor of Punjab, Lt-Gen Ghulam Jilani Khan (late). The drive was said to be initiated to clear the view of the Badshahi Mosque and the Minar-e-Pakistan.
Ironically neither the hospital management nor the people of the area have been informed about the huge change about to be imposed on their lives.
“You must have been mistaken, it might be some other hospital, this hospital is the most visited hospital in this area, I doubt that the Punjab government would make this silly move”, said Ashraf a resident of the “Shahi Mohalla”. After saying so he said if this was true the Punjab government should get ready to face heavy resistance by the locals of the area, certifying the locals would standup for what they call “their rights”.
On the other hands, young doctors, especially female doctors, coming in for training from KEMU also claimed that they did not know of any such move. “We don’t think so that could be done, this is the center of gynae and this hospital is catering to thousands of people residing in the thickly populated area of the walled city and other adjacent areas,” said Yusra, a student of KEMU. When the MS of Lady Willingdon hospital was contacted he refused to comment on the situation, adding that the hospital had not received any official notice on the issue.
Lady Willingdon Hospital is over 80 years old and currently holds 104 kanals area under its name. Though no notice has been issued by the government in this regard, sources in the Health Department say that the hospital was being relocated to a smaller 30 kanal are. The population being catered by the Lady Willingdon Hospital is about 3 to 4 hundred thousand people, of which the majority is women.
Knowing the historic and social backgrounds of the hospital, architects and the civil society members stand steadfastly against the move.
“The building is more than 80 years old and was made pre-partition, there is no way this building is going down only to clear the view,” said Asad, an architect, adding “I fail to understand why the Punjab government chooses the most difficult way to go about a task instead of opting for the easier one.”