March 18, 2006	Saturday	Safar 17, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, March 17: Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan on Friday said a Rs106.3 revised PC-I of MRI machine for Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has been submitted to the Planning and Development Division for approval.

In a written reply to a question raised by Chaudhry Mohammad Anwar Bhinder in the Senate here on Friday, the minister said additional funds amounting to Rs35.3 million had already been demanded for the purchase of MRI machine during this year.

Mr Khan said tender for the purchase of MRI machine was floated in time and the bidding cost of the tender was found to be much higher, necessitating revision of the project.

The PC-I of the project was also examined in a pre-Centre Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting held on February 1 and it was advised to revise the PC-I to include the increasing cost of the MRI machine.

Replying to another question raised by the same senator, Mr Khan said an amount of Rs300 million was committed during the current financial year for prevention and control of hepatitis.

Tenders for the procurement of various items within the projects have been floated for implementation of the activities at the federal and provincial level.

Replying another question raised by Mr Bhinder, the minister said Rs297 million was provided in the current year for a 400-bed Women and Chest Diseases Hospital, Rawalpindi.

However, on demand, an amount of Rs59.58 million has been release to Pakistan Public Works Department for execution of the project in the current financial year, he said.

The time required for completion of this project as per PC-I is 30 months, the minister added.

Replying to a question of Dr Kausar Firdaus, Mr Khan said a total of 2,224,204 cases of dog/animal bite were reported from 2003 to June 2005 throughout the country.

Out of this number, 16 full-blown rabies patients were treated at different federal institutions — five at Pims, followed by nine at National Institute of Health, Islamabad and two at National Institute of Child Health, Karachi, he added.

The health ministry has taken steps to control the disease as a national plan for Prevention and Control of Rabies in Pakistan has been developed in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and is being implemented since 2000.

Information material about management of dog/animal bite cases in the form of wall poster and booklets in English and Urdu have been printed and distributed throughout the country.

Forty workshops on prevention and control of rabies have been conducted to create awareness among doctors, paramedical staff, general public, mass media people and veterinary and municipal departments in Islamabad, Lahore, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Gilgit, Mardan, Muzaffarabad, Multan and Khanewal.

More than 500 doctors and paramedical staff have been trained as master trainers for anti-rabies treatment under the national plan.

Replying to a question raised by Bibi Yasmeen Shah, Mr Khan said an amount of Rs100 million was provided in the current year for Provision of MRI and CT Scanner for Civil Hospital Karachi, Chandka Medical College, Larkana, People Medical College Nawabshah and Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad and Jamshoro.