SIALKOT: Sialkot district has earned the top spot across Punjab in provision of improved primary and secondary health care services to people according to the latest indicators of Chief Minister’s Health Reforms Roadmap as claimed by the district administration.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr Syed Bilal Haider disclosed this while presiding over a meeting of senior officials of the health department here.

The DC termed it a big success, saying that the district made all-out sincere efforts under a splendid team to ensure provision of improved health services to the public.

He said the experiment of launching the Patient Referral System application in the district also remained successful, which improved the performance of the health department in terms of admission and referral of patients to other hospitals. He added that the app would soon be launched in other districts of the province.

District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Liaquat Ali Khan, district health officers Dr Ahmed Nasir and Dr Afzal Bhatti, District Monitoring Officer Zaheer Liaquat and other senior officials attended the meeting.

SUSPECT KILLED: A suspected dacoit was allegedly shot dead by his accomplices in a bid to get him released from a local farmer’s captivity during a dacoity bid in village Thakar Key-Bambaanwala, Daska tehsil on Thursday night.

According to a first information report (FIR), farmer Allah Ditta and his two sons were working in their fields when three unidentified armed suspects reached there and held Ditta hostage at gunpoint. Upon resistance, one of the suspects hit him with the pistol, injured him and started looting.

They also tried to steal Ditta’s cattle. His sons Hassan Raza and Asif Mehmood rushed to save their father when the suspects fired at them too, but they remained unhurt.

Ditta attempted to overpower the suspect who held him at gunpoint when his accomplices fired at the farmer to get their companion released. But, the bullet hit the suspect on his forehead, killing him on the spot. The remaining two looted Rs740 from Raza and Mehmood and fled from the scene.

The FIR added that the fleeing suspects were calling their companion Ali Raza. Later, police were called in who shifted the body to Daska Civil Hospital for autopsy.

Police officials said that Bambaanwala police registered a case against the suspect on the report of Ditta. Further investigations were under way.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2019