MANSEHRA: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is going to provide Rs7 billion high-tech equipment to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, the only tertiary healthcare facility in upper parts of Hazara division.

“Our healthcare services would match the country’s standard hospitals with the supply of equipment,” medical superintendent Dr Shahzada Ali Khan told the inaugural meeting of the hospital’s management committee held here on Wednesday. The committee was reconstituted by deputy commissioner Bilal Shahid Rao after being dissolved earlier this year.

Dr Ali said he was striving to provide better healthcare to patients brought to the hospital from neighbouring Torghar, Battagram and Kohistan districts.

He said the Saudi Fund for Development would probably provide the equipment in a week or two, enabling the hospital to also start dialysis services. He said no public sector health facility in upper parts of Hazara provided dialysis services to patients.

“We are also going to extend existing bedding capacity from 300 to 350 beds to accommodate more patients,” Dr Ali said. He said the equipment included CT scan, MRI machines, digital X-Ray plants, ultrasound and diagnostic equipment.

Assistant commissioner Zia Qamar, who presented the district administration in the meeting, said the newly-formed hospital management committee would ensure better healthcare services to patients.

DISQUALIFICATION ENDS: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz activists on Wednesday celebrated the end to the permanent disqualification of former MPA Mian Ziaur Rehman in a fake degree case.

He was disqualified by the Peshawar High Court for possessing a fake seminary degree on October 18, 2018.

Addressing a public gathering of the party workers in Balakot, Mr Rehman accused his political of getting him disqualified from court, but said their dream to keep him away from elections had been shattered.

The workers raised slogans in support of Mr Rehman and against his rivals.

Former federal minister Sardar Mohammad Yusuf and Balakot tehsil chairman Ibrahim Ahmad Shah also addressed the gathering.

Mr Rehman benefited from an amendment made in 2023 to the Election Act, 2017, which stipulated that an all-time disqualification under sections 62 or 63 couldn’t exceed five years. So, Mr Rehman’s permanent disqualification automatically stood cancelled on Oct 18, 2023.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2023