PESHAWAR, May 29: NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah has directed experts to chalk out a plan for the provision of kidney transplant facilities in the province.

This he stated while presiding over a high-level meeting on Saturday regarding the improvement of urology and launching of kidney transplant services in the NWFP.

The meeting was attended by Dr Taskeen, Dr Sajjad Ahmad and Dr Asif Malik, an official handout said.

Urologist Dr Ataur Rehman, while briefing the meeting about the current scenario of urology services, informed that the increasing number of urology patients required proper arrangements to meet the challenge.

He admitted that the urology department of the Lady Reading Hospital was facing difficulties in providing services to the patients due to improper building, lack of staff and equipment.

Comparing the NWFP with other provinces in this regard, the urologist said that Punjab had 48 urology and nine kidney transplant units while in Sindh 33 urology and three kidney transplant units existed.

"There are only two urology units one each in LRH and Ayub Medical Complex in the NWFP, while no kidney transplant unit exits in the province," he said.

The experts apart from demanding urology units in all the medical colleges, teaching institutions and specific districts, also stressed establishment of a centre of excellence for the purpose.

The health minister said that government would initiate all possible steps to improve urology services in the public sector hospitals.

He ordered constitution of a committee comprising experts to compile a comprehensive report for starting kidney transplant services in any teaching hospital of the province.