MARDAN, Aug 17: Provincial Health Minister Inayatullah Khan on Saturday directed the authorities to ensure the presence of specialist doctors in the hospitals’ outpatient departments.

Presiding over a meeting convened to select a site for installation of a dialysis unit to be provided by Noor Foundation of the United Kingdom, at Mardan Medical Complex, he said most of the doctors were good people but their image in the public was bad.  

He said the doctors should ensure their presence in the OPDs from 9am to 1pm daily and in the evening once a week.   He said the Khyber Teaching Hospital administration had decided to  start evening OPD from Sept 1 and other government hospitals should  also provide free medical examination service in the evening.

He said dialyses was an expensive treatment and its free of cost provision to the needy people would also be established in Bannu, Dir, Swat, Hazara and D.I. Khan.

He said the people of adjoining districts would also benefit from the centre here.

Excise and Taxation Minister Fazl Rabbani advocate and MNA Dr Attur Rehman also spoke.

Noor Foundation Chairman Mohammad Shafique Naqshbandi said six dialyses units had been established in the country and three such centres would be set up every year.

He said four dialyses units would be installed in the centre here as soon space and infrastructure was provided and staff trained for the purpose. He expressed the hope that the centres would be made functional in January 2004.

The health minister went round various section of the hospital and was briefed about the pace of work on the second phase of the Mardan Medical Complex, to be completed at the cost of Rs146.969  million.

He directed the staff concerned to complete the project within the stipulated period.

He also visited the rehabilitation centre for drug addicts being run by the Bay Bay Welfare Trust and attended a briefing regarding the organization’s activities.