PESHAWAR, Dec 20: NWFP Health Minister Inayatullah Khan on Wednesday launched a project to upgrade the Pabbi Hospital. The hospital after upgradation will have 110 beds, said a handout.

The project will cost Rs27.5 million and will be completed in two years.

The minister said that health and education were priority areas for the government and steps were being taken to promote these sectors.

The minister said the government had increased development funding in the health sector from Rs300 million to Rs2.17 billion.

The minister said the district headquarter and tehsil headquarter hospitals in the province were being upgraded to provide better health services to the masses.

He said hundreds of doctors and thousands of nurses had been recruited who were being provided with better working conditions.

He said Rs170 million would be distributed among district headquarter hospitals to provide free emergency services to the people.

He also announced the allocation of Rs3.5 million to the Pabbi Hospital and Rs2.5 million to the Nowshera district headquarters hospital for emergency services.

The provincial health minister directed the authorities concerned to prepare a feasibility report for the construction of a hostel for nurses in the Pabbi Hospital.

Construction of a mosque on the hospital premises should be made part of the PC-1, the inister said.

Nowshera Jamaat-i-Islami amir Asif Luqman Qazi said specialist doctors, X-ray machines and other equipment should be provided to the hospital. Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Arshad also spoke on the occasion.

Nowshera naib nazim Ashfaq Khan and the District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) also attended the ceremony.