January 23, 2006	Monday	Zilhaj 22, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 22: The city government has initiated the construction work of a 50-bed hospital at Majeed Colony in Union Council-1 of Landhi Town of an estimated cost of Rs57.4 million. City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal laid the foundation stone of the hospital, said a statement issued here on Sunday.

A five-storey building will be constructed for the hospital on 14,144sq-ft area, while all necessary medical facilities including latest medical equipment will also be provided to the hospital.

The hospital will be the first health facility from the government which will provide medical facilities to around 500,000 local residents.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Mustafa Kamal said that the city government had firm believe in practical work. He said that the hospital would be completed before its stipulated time of around two years.

He said that keeping in view the problems regarding medical treatment being faced by common man, the construction of more hospitals was among priorities of the city government.

The nazim said that decision had been made to ensure the presence of doctors in every city government hospital besides provision of medicines. He said that pharmaceutical companies were asked to provide medicines in specific colours and sizes to the government hospitals to stop the sale of the same in local markets. An awareness campaign will also be launched in this regard, he added.

He said that the poor and needy people would be provided medicines at the government hospitals under the medicine policy adopted by the city government.

Mr Kamal said that private companies were also urged to cooperate with the government to improve the medical services. —APP