KOHAT: The civil society activists, who have been protesting for provision of category-A facilities in the KDA teaching hospital for more than a year, have announced to march to Islamabad on Wednesday (today) to highlight the grave issue facing the people of Kohat division.

Chairman of Karwan-i-Ammal, Saleem Altaf, who is organising the sit-ins on every Friday, in his message released on Tuesday, urged the people to participate in the procession to put pressure on the government to ask the oil and gas exploration companies to construct trauma and burns centre and provide CT Scan, MRIs and other required facilities to the hospital.

He said the hospital had long been facing shortage of specialist doctors due to which the people were forced to seek treatment in Peshawar hospitals.

Mr Altaf said though the health was a provincial subject now, the elected representatives and the officials concerned had been criminally ignoring their demands since 2010. He said the KDA hospital was given status of category-A long ago but never provided with equipment and specialist doctors.

He regretted that patients from as far as Kurram tribal district were brought to the divisional hospital, but were referred to Peshawar in serious condition and many died on their way.

He advised the local lawmakers to force the oil companies to allocate funds for provision of facilities.

TWO SHOPS SEALED: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Safety Authority on Tuesday sealed two shops for selling substandard juices.

According to a statement, food safety officer Mohammad Siraj raided many shops in Jungle Khel and on Bannu Road and seized 54 cartons of fake juices brought from Peshawar and displayed at two shops.

He said the supplier of the substandard product would be brought to justice, warning that nobody would be allowed to play with the health of people.

Also, additional assistant commissioner Murad Khan Hoti sealed a filling station in Lachi tehsil for operating without licence on Tuesday.

During checking he demanded papers from the owner who failed to produce the same. The official then sealed it and asked the owner to prepare papers for running the filling station lawfully.

FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT: The inaugural match of inter-district Khyber Pakhtunkhwa football tournament played at municipal ground was won by Ameer Eleven defeating Ghazi Club of Handu district on penalties.

Seventeen local and 25 teams from districts are participating in the tournament.

Regional sports officer Sikandar Shah was the chief guest and the chief organiser Mohibullah was the guest of honour on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2019