HARIPUR, Nov 18: The new 210-bed district headquarters hospital would start functioning partially from Nov 22, it was decided at a meeting on Monday.

District Nazim Dr Raja Amer Zaman presided over the meeting, which was attended by District Coordination Officer Jehanzeb Khan, Health Executive District Officer Dr Daud and DHQ Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Siddique Rehman.

The health department officials told the nazim about the shortage of doctors, paramedics and other staff and delay in the approval of the schedule for new expenditures in this regard.

The nazim said all the necessary arrangements would be made for making the facility operational.

It was decided that the medical department would be shifted from the 72-bed old hospital to the new one.

A medical and a paediatric specialist with support staff and apparatus would be moved to the new hospital and the surgical, eye and ear, nose and throat (ENT) departments would function in the old facility.

Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani inaugurated the partially completed phase-I of the hospital on April 29 and the health department had assured him that it would be made operational by June.

But the SNE for the appointment of staff was not approved and funds of Rs11.9 million earmarked for the purchase of equipment lapsed at the end of the last financial year, it could not be commissioned as scheduled.

Sources said that since there would be no funding available such facilities in the province after 2005, construction work on the remaining two phases of the Rs60 million project had been started.