KOHAT, Jan 12: The status of Rs25 million 300-bed divisional hospital has been changed from category A to B on the order of chief minister Akram Khan Durrani, with immediate effect.

The order was issued soon after the shifting of regional offices of Kohat deputy inspector-general of police to Bannu, the native town of the chief minister, for a period of 15 days on rotation.

The hospital was constructed and equipped with modern facilities to ease load on the major hospitals, like Lady Reading Hospital and Khyber Teaching Hospital, in the presence of a large number of Afghan refugees who lived in the camps in Kurram Agency, Thall, Hangu, Kohat and Orakzai Agency.

The hospital remained closed for four years due to the shortage of funds as a result of economic sanctions slapped on Pakistan following its nuclear tests in 1998. During the four years, the building suffered a lot of damage.

Lt-Gen Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, who was made governor after President Musharraf took over power in October 1999, reactivated the pending projects in the province with special emphasis on the schemes in tribal areas, the Kohat Tunnel project on the Indus Highway and the Lowari Tunnel project, linking Chitral with rest of the country. The governor also ordered opening of the hospital and placed it in category A. The hospital had been functioning smoothly for two years.

Now the chief minister has issued the order that it should be placed in category B and got the summary signed by the governor.

Under the new status, its funds had been cut by 50 per cent. Besides, the number of beds had also been curtailed to 134. It is being feared that the senior doctors would also be transferred to Peshawar and thus the dream of specialists facilities at the district level would not be available. The budget for medicines for the poor people had already been cut by 50 per cent.

Social and political circles have expressed their anguish over the decision and exhorted the chief minister to rescind it.