SIALKOT: The Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital will soon have a well-equipped burn unit, says Khwaja Muhammad Safdar Medical College Principal Prof Dr Zafar Ali Chaudhry.

He told reporters on Wednesday the Punjab government had approved the project and construction work would begin soon.

Another teaching hospital in the district -- Sardar Begum Memorial Teaching Hospital -- is also without a burn unit. The Sialkot district has 4.4 million population and its burn patients are referred to Lahore or Islamabad hospitals. Many of them have died before reaching the hospitals because of hours long travel to Lahore and Islamabad.

In 2002, then district nazim Naeem Javaid had approved a burn unit for the Allama Iqbal Memorial DHQ Hospital but it could not be established due to non-availability of funds.

SUSPENDED: Two food inspectors were suspended from service on Wednesday for issuing wheat bags to their blue-eyed people at the Poorab Kalair wheat procurement centre in Pasrur.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Asif Tufail told Dawn local wheat growers and farmers had complained to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif about food inspectors Saeed Ahmed and Rana Afzaal during his visit to the centre on May 5. An ensuing inquiry declared the inspectors guilty of wrongdoings. In the light of the report, the Punjab government suspended them from service.

Also, the food department has bought 20,000 metric tons of wheat from growers in the district, says District Food Controller Muhammad Rohail Butt.

He said the target of 82,000 metric tons would be achieved by the end of this month.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2017