GUJRANWALA, Dec 2: The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission has approved the establishment of institute of nuclear medicine and oncology in Gujranwala. For this purpose, the Punjab government has acquired 93 kanals of agricultural land on 33 years lease near Nandipur power station.

This was stated by DHQ senior radiologist and former Pakistan Medical Association president Dr Ishtiaq Safdar Tarer here on Thursday. He pointed out that the construction work on the project would be started from the current month while the institute's outdoor would start functioning from next financial year.

Dr Safdar said that it would be the 13th centre in the country which diagnosed and treated cancer. He said the Punjab chief minister had directed the authorities concerned to complete the project in the stipulated period.

He said a three-member delegation of doctors - Dr Ibrar Kaleem, Dr Sajjad Ahmad Dhariwal and Dr Khwaja Zarar Kaleem met with PAEC director Dr Javed Khurshid, who gave an approval for the construction of this institute. The institute would be completed in two phases while Rs100 million were allocated for the first phase and Rs300 million for the second phase, he added.