HARIPUR, Nov 29: The Haripur district government cancelled an earlier decision of partially opening the new DHQ hospital.

Informed sources told Dawn on Saturday that the plan of opening the completed portion of the new hospital was okayed by District Nazim Dr Raja Amer Zaman at a meeting of the district council last week.

The meeting was attended by DCO, EDO (health), medical superintendent of DHQ hospital and other officials concerned.

The meeting had also approved the shifting of 30 beds of medical and children wards, two specialist doctors, support staff and equipment to the new facility in spite of an objection made by Medical Superintendent Dr Siddiq.

The MS had told the meeting that in the absence of the required strength of medical officers, paramedics, support staff, laboratory and X-ray unit, the decision would multiply difficulties of the patients, the sources said.

However, the district nazim did not listen to the proposals and shifted 30 beds to the new health facility on Nov 22.

The office of EDO (health), which was housed in the building of Civil Hospital Khalabat Township was relocated as the nursing hostel.

The sources claimed that the EDO (health) had failed to forward the demand for appointment of doctors and other staff for the new hospital to the provincial government.

“If they were short of staff, they should have desisted from taking such wrong decisions”, said a medical officer on condition of anonymity, adding that undue meddling and hindrances created by the vested interest had made the matter worse.

He was of the view that the district government should have got approved all requirements from the provincial government first and then effected the shifting of some departments to the new facility.

Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani had inaugurated the partially completed building of 210-bed hospital on April 29, 2003. The construction work on this Rs600 million project started in 1995.