TAXILA: A long-awaited and state-of-the-art trauma centre on Wednesday started functioning in Fatehjang Town of Attock.

Deputy Commissioner, Attock, Rao Atif Raza inaugurated the 16-bed trauma centre that has been set up to provide emergency services to the victims of road fatalities on inter-district and inter-province routes.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, the deputy commissioner said Fatehjang had a strategic location being at the crossroads of various routes and the newly-built centre would be a nodal point for commuters travelling on Rawalpindi-Kohat Road, the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway, the proposed ring road and CPEC Highway.

Mr Raza said the fatality rate due to road accidents in Attock district, especially on roads passing through Fatehjang, was alarmingly high as it took hours to rush injured persons to hospitals located in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. He said there was a dire need for establishing freestanding emergency centres on the main highways of the city, as most road accident victims died on the way to major hospitals due to the unavailability of proper trauma facilities in the towns of Attock.

He also said the district administration was determined to provide more healthcare facilities to the people and vowed to accelerate work on seven other state-of-the-art trauma centres in Attock, especially Hazro.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2023