PESHAWAR, March 28: The City District Government is likely to convert the under-construction burns hospital in Peshawar into a full-fledged hepatitis hospital, it was learnt on Tuesday.

Azam Afridi, a former district nazim, had sanctioned a 70-bed burns hospital for the city spread over three kanals on the G.T. Road. Officials said that in the wake of rising incidence of hepatitis B and C in the province, the city government was planning to convert the burns hospital into a hepatitis hospital.

An official said: “The decision is likely to be taken after holding meetings with experts in this regard.” They said the provincial government had already sanctioned the construction of burns and reconstructive surgery units at the Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC).

Officials said the prevalence of hepatitis B and C was quite high in the province. Citing a study conducted by the World Health Organisation, they said that 30 per cent of the people suffered from hepatitis B and C or both and the disease was spreading fast.

They said the people had no specific hospital for the disease and the planned hospital would provide facilities for all types of treatment of hepatitis.

Furthermore, a 20-bed burn unit is being established by a UK-based NGO, Bridging Frontiers, at the Lady Reading Hospital, they said, adding that the provincial government had also planned to set up burn and reconstructive surgery units at the Khyber Teaching Hospital.

An official said: “After the completion of three burn units in the city, there would be no need for a fourth hospital. Therefore, we have decided to convert it into a hepatitis hospital.”

He said that the hospital would offer free vaccination services to the people.

The hospital would be run on the pattern of the Khyber Eye Foundation.