SWABI: The dermatology, neurosurgery and ENT wards and general OPD of Bacha Khan Hospital Complex, Shahmansoor, were closed on Thursday due to increasing number of coronavirus cases in the district.

It was also decided an emergency meeting that only surgeries would be carried out.

The meeting was chaired by principal/chief executive Prof Dr Fassehuz Zaman in his office to evaluate the Covid-19 upsurge in Swabi district. It also deliberated upon ways to increase the capacity for treatment of corona patients to avoid referral to other hospitals.

The chair in consensus with the participants, including the medical superintendent, decided to open another high dependency unit (HDU) in medical ward as all facilities like oxygen, monitors, etc were available and shift the patients of medical units to the newly-established unit. The order was implemented and the new HDU for corona patients opened immediately.

Increasing number of Covid cases cited as reason

Meanwhile, the Women University Swabi issued a notification for keeping the varsity closed till April 11 as per the government directives.

It says that the online classes of the students would continue till further orders. The University of Swabi also issued a similar notification about closure and continuing the online classes for its students.

PRICE CONTROL DEMANDED: Pakistan Peoples Party and Awami National Party leaders said here on Thursday that there was a need for devising a proper mechanism to control the prices of essential commodities during the upcoming Ramazan.

Speaking at a gathering arranged by a welfare body, PPP divisional general secretary Javid Inqilabi and ANP provincial finance secretary Mukhtiar Khan said the ruling party would be responsible for the sky-rocketing prices because they could not pass this responsibility to the previous governments.

Mr Inqilabi said that there was a need to constitute active price control committees to provide relief to the masses. Mukhtiar Khan said the leaders of the ruling party were making only pledges while the traders had been fleecing the people by creating artificial price hike.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2021