MANSEHRA: The King Abdullah Teaching Hospital is struggling to cater to the influx of the patients of phenomena and other respiratory tract infections.

The hospital was recently handed over to the health department after reconstruction by the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority.

“More and more children are showing up with complaints of phenomena and other respiratory tract infections due to the current cold wave but there is an acute shortage of beds,” head of the Kath paediatrics department Dr Anila Farhat told reporters here on Thursday.

The paediatrician said the hospital had admitted over 976 children since the start of the cold wave in the middle of Dec.

“The shortage of beds is so serious that we have to keep two or even three children on a single bed,” she said.

Dr Anila said the cold wave had swept the district due to snowfall and rains. Kath deputy superintendent Dr Amjad said under an agreement, the Saudi government would supply surgical equipment and other facilities to the hospital to help it function at full capacity of 350 beds. Dr Amjad said the hospital had around 200 beds.

PROTEST: The makers of wooden furniture on Thursday protested the forest department’s crackdown, alleging harassment.

They gathered outside the deputy commissioner’s offices and shouted slogans against the department.

“We are neither involved in timber smuggling nor do we purchase such timber but even then, the forest department officials removed our small saw-machines and thus, causing us heavy losses,” Wood Furniture Makers Association president Mohammad Sajid told reporters here.

Mr Sajid also alleged that forest officer Mohammad Riaz harassed furniture makers though they had registered their small saw machines with the department.

General secretary of the association Mohammad Javed warned that furniture makers would move the court if their harassment continued. The protesters handed over complaints to the deputy commissioner in writing demanding action against the relevant officials.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2019