MINGORA, Aug 17: The provincial government has planned to establish a hospital for treating cancer in Swat to provide health facilities to the people of Malakand division suffering from the deadly disease.

NWFP Minister for Science and Technology Hussein Ahmad Kanju, while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of power supply schemes at Malooch Kabal on Tuesday, said that the provincial government of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) was trying to resolve people's problems.

He said the government was trying its best to provide health, education, communication and safe drinking facilities and implement Islamic system. He said that the government had planned to establish a hospital in Swat to treat cancer patients.

The minister said that Rs650 million would be spent on expansion of the two big hospitals of Swat, adding that work on the 500-bed Saidu Sharif hospital was in progress. Mr Kanju said that Rs35 million would be spent on the repair and extension of the Kabal irrigation canal, which would help increase the agriculture produce.

He said that work on the supply of electricity to the rural areas, construction of pavements and 120-kilometre roads would be initiated shortly in the PF-83 constituency. Shah Dauoran, Councillor Khurshid Ahmad and Mohammad Alam Khan also spoke on the occasion and apprised the minister of the problems being faced by the people of Damghar.