KARACHI, Feb 24: The city government has decided to develop its century-old leprosy centre in Manghopir as an infectious disease centre.

Speaking as the chief guest at city government leprosy hospital in Manghopir on Saturday, City Nazim Mustafa Kamal declared that the 110-year-old leprosy care centre would be upgraded as the Institute of Infectious Diseases, where research would be conducted on leprosy, hepatitis, AIDS and thalassaemia.

He said the planned institute would serve as a school for sanitary inspectors, health inspectors and food inspectors to obtain various diploma courses, while doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff would be involved in research works related to infectious diseases.

Mr Kamal, along with Sindh Planning Minister Shoaib Bukhari inaugurated a modern eye operation theatre, laboratory and dental unit at the centre where the World Leprosy Day was being observed.

Addressing the gathering, the nazim said it was the present government that paid attention to the centre and now changes had started taking place.

The new lab was first of its kind in the government sector in the province, which would enable diagnosis of leprosy disease, he remarked.

Shoaib Bukhari said the provincial government, which had already approved the establishment of the institute, would extend financial cooperation for the upgradation.

District Coordination Officer Fazlur Rehman, Dr Ruth Pfau, Dr Waqar Kazmi, Dr Khalid Javed, Dr Nusrat Shaukat, Dr A.D. Sajnani, Dr Muhammad Ali Abbasi, representatives of non-government organisations were also present.