SWABI, June 4: NWFP Minister for Health Inayatullah Khan said on Monday the district headquarters hospital would not be shifted from the centre of Swabi city to the Shahmansoor Hospital Complex.

The local jirga and politicians had opposed the government move and constituted the Rabita Awam Committee for launching a mass contact drive to muster public support against the proposal.

A press release issued by the JUI-F on Monday said that Maulana Fazle Ali, the provincial education minister, informed the health minister of the people’s anger and lack of health facilities in the district.

The health minister assured the education minister that no decision would be taken by the provincial health department that would harm the feelings of the people. He said: “We will provide health services to the people and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government will never snatch health facilities from the masses.”

Jirga members said the district headquarters hospital, located in the city centre, was easily accessible to the people and its shifting would create problems for patients.

They welcomed the decision and said that it was the second time that the government made abortive attempts for depriving the people of the 74-bed hospital, which had been upgraded to the district headquarters level in 1988.

They claimed that the best option for the government was to give up its plans of shifting the hospital and work for providing better facilities to the people.