PESHAWAR, Oct 11: Provincial Health Minister Inayatullah Khan said on Tuesday that medical assistance had been provided to 9,079 quake-affected people over the past four days.

About 1,855 were provided medical treatment in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur hospitals, while another 3,725 were referred to tertiary care centres in Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, according to the minister.

He said that EPI staff has been mobilized and anti-cholera and vaccines had been collected from the National Institute of Health for onward distribution among the affected population of the province.

The minister told reporters that the government had chalked out a strategy to provide relief services to the victims in Abbotabad, Mansehra, Shangla and Battagram districts of the province.

A central emergency cell has been set up at the health directorate and emergency centres established in district headquarter hospitals so that emergency cover could be provided to all quake affectees.

Apart from public sector hospitals, some private hospitals like Shaheena Jamil Hospital, Gailani Hospital have been reserved for treatment of patients, the minister said. In reply to a question, he said that most parts of Ayub Medical Complex had developed cracks following the quake, but he added that makeshift arrangements had been made so that patients could be provided treatment.

About 16 well-equipped ambulances have been sent to the quake-hit areas. Some 19 surgeons, 45 nurses and 41 paramedical staff of three tertiary care hospitals have been deployed in addition to 32 doctors and paramedical staff from Fata.

Speaking about the emergency arrangements, the minister said that 200 extra beds in LRH, 100 each in KTH and HMC have been set up for earthquake victims. “Emergency has been declared in all hospitals in NWFP,” he told a questioner.

When the minister was asked about the assistance provided by other provinces, he said that some 29 surgeons from Karachi alone and dozens of relief experts had been sent by PIMS, Sheikh Zayed Hospital and Multan’s Teaching Hospital to the areas.