PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai on Friday announced autonomous status for all district headquarters hospitals of the province and said it would help improve patient care and efficiency at the hospitals.

Addressing a news conference at the Officers’ Mess here, the minister also announced free dialysis and kidney transplant for poor patients.

“We’ve released Rs100 million to the Institute of Kidney Diseases, Peshawar for free kidney transplant, while Rs75 million has been given to ensure free dialysis services.

We will establish new dialyses centres in Malakand, Battagram, Swabi and two southern districts,” he said.

Mr Yousafzai said the province had only four tertiary health centres, including Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital, Ayub Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex, which were under pressure due to the influx of patients from across the province, but things were set to improve.

“Now, the people of all 25 districts will get health facilities on their doorstep,” he said.

The minister said autonomous hospitals would meet shortage of medical staff and acquire machinery on their own within the shortest possible time unlike the past when the process took much more time.

He said the number of senior registrars at hospitals would be increased.

Mr Yousafzai said the government had released Rs1.2 billion for emergency services, Rs12.5 million for insulin bank, Rs200 million for immunisation and Rs300 million for maternal health services.

He said the insulin bank had been established, where free insulin was available for diabetic patients.

The minister said a memorandum of understanding had been signed for the establishment of burns centres in Dir, Chitral and Bannu and those centres would be established very soon.

He said service structure for doctors would be part of the next annual development programme, while a committee was being formed to suggest service structure for paramedics and nurses.

Mr Yousafzai said the stipend of nursing students had been increased from Rs3,600 to Rs5,000.

He said a crackdown on illegal laboratories and spurious drugs was underway in the province and that 292 illegal laboratories had been sealed so far.

The minister said the process to form the Health Regulatory Authority was in progress and that it would be in place soon.

He said the Sehat Ka Insaf immunisation campaign would be extended to Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda and Nowshera districts.

Mr Yousafzai said the department had begun a campaign to create public awareness of dengue in the province, while the public and relevant departments should play their due role in this respect.

He said the government had released Rs500 million for free treatment of hepatitis patients.

The minister said the health department had old stock of anti-hepatitis vaccines, which were stated to be of low standard.

“The future of anti-hepatitis vaccines could be decided after a meeting with the relevant company next Monday,” he said.

Mr Yousafzai said the department would offer free check-up to pregnant women at government hospitals and that Rs300 million had been released to create awareness among women on how to prevent mortality during pregnancy.

He said parents would get Rs1,000 on completion of the immunisation for their children.