MANSEHRA: The Saudi authorities have announced the construction of a residential complex for doctors, paramedics, and other employees of the King Abdullah Teaching Hospital here.

“We took up the residential complex and other major projects with the representatives of the Saudi Development Funds in a recent meeting at the Economic Affairs Division. They agreed to build the residential complex for our more than 500 doctors, paramedics, and other staff members,” Kath medical superintendent Dr Shahzad Ali Khan told reporters.

He said the King Mohammad Salman Residential Complex would be put up on the premises of the hospital.

Dr Shahzad said the hospital was rebuilt by Saudi authorities after a strong earthquake damaged it in 2005.

MS says Saudis have agreed to fund project

“If our employees, who come in from different parts of Hazara Division, get accommodation on the premises, they’ll attend to patients in a better way,” he said.

The MS said Saudis recently delivered 60 per cent of the pledged high-tech surgical and medical machines, beds, and other facilities to the hospital.

“We hope to get the rest of the machines shortly, improving patient care significantly,” he said.

Dr Shahzad said the hospital submitted proposals to the SDF for the establishment of a 120-bed maternal newborn and child health unit and a modern cardiology unit with a catheter laboratory.

“We recently set up a 10-bed kidney unit and launched dialysis services after getting high-tech machines from Saudi Arabia,” he said.

POWER CUTS: Traders in Mansehra city and its suburbs on Friday demanded of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company to do away with prolonged power outages.

Nasir Awan, Umar Khan Swati, Sheeraz Hussain, Mohammad Zubair and other traders told reporters that the prolonged and unscheduled power cuts had badly hit their businesses.

“Pesco resorts to daylong electricity supply in the name of maintenance of power lines,” he said.

He warned that if prolonged and unscheduled load shedding didn’t stop, traders would take to the streets.

“The federal government should take action to ensure uninterrupted power supply to our city and its suburbs,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2024