PESHAWAR, Feb 15: The NWFP government has approved construction of a cardiovascular ward at the Lady Reading Hospital, reliable sources told Dawn on Tuesday.

"The ward to be constructed at the Lady Reading Hospital at an estimated cost of Rs1 billion will be completed in two years," said the sources, adding that the NWFP Workers Welfare Board has pledged to provide the amount required for the construction of the multi-storey building.

Four kanal of land had been allocated in the LRH for the construction of the ward, they said, and added that after the completion of the new building the existing cardiovascular unit would be shifted there.

A blueprint for the building is being designed now for which the Workers Welfare Board (WWB) had hired experts from Lahore, they added. "According to the modalities sorted out between the health department and the WWB, free treatment would be given to the labourers, government employees and poor people," they said.

Officials at the health department said that the government had allocated Rs20.5 million for purchasing new equipment for the existing cardiovascular unit at the LRH. They said that the amount had been allocated and the desired equipment would be purchased before June 30 this year.

They said that the amount for purchasing new machinery had been allocated by the government upon the demand of the hospital's administration because the ward lacked necessary instruments which posed obstacles in the smooth-sailing of its functioning.

The officials said that for the new ward additional staff and equipment would also be required which would be purchased at a later stage, and added that the amount required for hiring additional staff would be the responsibility of the government.

They said that they had also sent a summary to Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani to allocate land near the Peshawar Central Prison for the construction of a full-fledged unit there, and added, "The summary is lying with the chief minister and if it is approved by him, then a full-fledged state-of-the-art institute of cardiology will be established."

In case of the approval of the summary by the chief minister, the plan to construct a new cardiovascular unit at the LRH will be dropped, an official said and added that then the cardiovascular unit would be built as part of the Institute of Cardiology.

Officials hoped that the chief minister would allot the land near the Central Prison, which would benefit the local people because they would then not be required to travel to Karachi, Lahore and abroad for the treatment of heart-related ailments.

About the cost, he said that the government would sort out the modalities with the WWB, which, he said, would allocate more amount for the Institute of Cardiology.