PESHAWAR: The health department has decided to start evening OPD service in four teaching hospitals of the province soon.

This was decided in a meeting presided over by senior health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai here on Friday. The four hospitals where the service would be launched include the Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex of Peshawar and Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad.

The medical staff for the evening shift would be hired from private sector, said an official handout. Initially, evening OPDs will be started in four specialties, including surgery, medicines, paediatrics and gynae. Facilities of laboratory and pharmacy will also be available in these hospitals and all treatment facilities would be provided free of cost.

The meeting was attended by health secretary Mushtaq Jadoon, newly-appointed heads of the hospitals and other officials. The heads of these hospitals were asked to submit feasible and workable proposals by coming Monday with regard to the launching of evening shift OPDs in the hospitals.

Staff for evening shift to be hired from private sector

The meeting discussed measures to ensure implementation of the recently promulgated “Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act” in teaching hospitals.

HOSPITAL FOR DRUG ADDICTS: The provincial government will establish a modern 150-bed hospital with the collaboration of Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in Peshawar for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts.

This was decided in a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak here on Friday. Beisdes others, ANF commander Brig Habibur Rahman and special assistant to chief minister on social welfare Mahr Taj Roghani attended the meeting. It was decided that the provincial government would provide the abandoned building of the commerce college on Ring Road for the hospital.

Apprising the chief minister of the initiatives being taken by ANF, Brig Habib said that such hospitals were being run in other major cities of the country. He said that the proposed hospital would be run by a board of governors, adding that the facility could be made operational by September if the building was provided by the provincial government.

Mr Khattak said that the required financial resources for the hospital would also be provided by the provincial government and this project would be properly incorporated in the Annual Development Programme for the next fiscal year.

He ordered the authorities concerned to take all necessary measures for early completion of the project. However, Mr Khattak was annoyed by the information about delay in completion of two other rehabilitation centres of Social Welfare Department, which were in the pipeline since last nine months.

He asked the department to immediately remove all the bottlenecks in smooth execution of the projects and advised it to keep close liaison with ANF in all activities and initiatives aimed at medical or psycho treatment and rehabilitation of drugs addicts.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play