SAHIWAL, May 2 Punjab Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad has charge-sheeted Sahiwal DHQ Hospital MS Dr Capt Rashid Mehmood retired and called explanation on account of absence from duty without leave.

The secretary has also suspended storekeeper Sarajudin for discrepancies in stock register and available stocks, says a handout.

During a surprise visit to the hospital on Saturday, Fawad also visited the dialysis unit being run with the cooperation of a philanthropist. The secretary listened to the problems of the patients and assured them that the health department would provide 11 more dialysis machines by the end of June next.

He also directed the Sahiwal Health EDO to bring a visible improvement in service delivery system in the next 15 days.

Meanwhile, the secretary has suspended the senior medical officer Dr

Mehmoodul Hassan, in charge of Rural Health Center (RHC), 55/5L, Sahiwal, on charges of misappropriation and complaints of patients.

He also asked the director-general, health, to clarify inordinate delay in the medicine purchase for the said RHC.

The secretary paid a surprise visit to the RHC on May 1.

FUNDS The Punjab government has approved resurfacing and widening of the Sahiwal-Faisalabad Road and released Rs 482 million for its first phase.

According to Mr Amjad Raza Khan, highways executive engineer in Sahiwal, in the first phase 30km road from Sahiwal city to Noorshah will be rebuilt besides the reconstruction of Mari Pattan Bridge on Ravi.

He said 3km road in front of the Sahiwal District Headquarters Hospital and Timber Market would be dualized to solve the problem of frequent traffic jams.

He further said the Highways department had recommended dualization of the Sahiwal-Arifwala-Bahawalnagar Road which would cost Rs 3364 million. The engineer hoped that the project would get approval during the next financial year.

He said work on the dualization of Sahiwal-Pakpattan road was under way and during this financial year Rs 244.982 million would be spent. The total cost of the project is Rs 1171.435 million.