PESHAWAR, July 3: The NWFP Health Department has formally approved the plan to establish an anti-retroviral therapy centre for the treatment of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus/Auto-Immune Disease Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), says the NWFP health minister.

"The centre will be established at the Hayatabad Medical Complex very soon," Health Minister Inayatullah Khan said at a news conference here on Saturday.

Counselling centres, he said, would be set up at the district level to create public awareness regarding sexually-transmitted infections besides helping change the people's attitude towards the HIV/AIDS patients.

He said that hospitals had been provided screening kits to control the spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

"Arrangements have been made at blood banks to ensure safe blood transfusion besides saving the people from being infected with killer diseases", he said.

The minister said that a programme was underway to educate the people about the iodine deficiency disorder in 18 districts of the province. He said that the health department had launched another programme in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide vegetable oil to pregnant women in the health centre of seven districts.

The government, he said, had assigned a high priority to the standardization of the district headquarters hospitals and 35 per cent work in this regard had been completed in 21 districts. This is meant to lessen burden on the tertiary care hospitals.

Enumerating other steps taken by the NWFP government, he said that an endowment fund with a seed money amounting to Rs500 million had been established, adding that its profit would be spent on the treatment of poor patients suffering from chronic diseases. Free emergency services had been started at four of the teaching hospitals to provide quick treatment to the critically- ill patients, he said, adding that it would also be started at the DHQ level.

He said that initiation of evening OPD was another step taken by the government, where specialist doctors examined patients after paying a nominal fee (Rs5 only). He said that four dialysis machine had been installed at the DHQ in Mardan.

The appointment of 79 specialist doctors, 32 dental surgeons and 740 medical officers were aimed at improving the healthcare system, adding that the services of 83 doctors had been terminated for violating rules. The government, he said, was negotiating a project under Japan's JICA, would help strengthen the EPI programme in three districts.

"Some 337 new EPI centres are being established with the appointment of 157 technicians for which Rs337.6 million has been provided by Bill Gates-sponsored Gavi programme," he said.

The DFID, he said, would provide 90 pound sterling for Punjab and the NWFP for safe motherhood project in districts where the infant mortality rate was higher.

To save the future of 500 students of the Gomal and Saidu medical colleges, the government had allocated adequate funds besides appointing staff, after which the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had renewed its recognition of these colleges.

A website is being launched to enable the people to reach information regarding healthcare system in the province, he said adding that health regulatory authority was also established to regulate the practice of the doctors and functioning of the laboratories.

For the first time, the government had allocated Rs2million in the budget to be awarded to good workers, he said.