KARACHI, Dec 13: The city government has decided to set up a diagnostic centre for providing modern and quality diagnostic facilities to people.

In the diagnostic centre, modern medical equipment and machines worth Rs100 million will be installed.

The centre would provide X-ray, ultra-sound, memography and colour dier besides CT scan and MRI facilities to general public. MRI facility is not available in any government hospital in Sindh and Balochistan.

In order to ensure speedy setting up of diagnostic centre, the nazim has allowed the use of camp office premises adjoining Liaquat National Hospital. Naimatullah Khan said that his camp office had its own importance, but since diagnostic centre was very significant for citizens, he had decided to convert the camp office into diagnostic centre and this could be done with minor adjustments.

City Nazim has set up an authoritative committee for immediate start of work on the diagnostic centre project with Dr Shaukat Zaman as its chairman and Ali Hasan Abro, Deputy District Officer Planning Health, as its secretary.

The committee members are noted radiologist Dr Azomuddin, DO Building Rajpal, Union Council Nazims Saifuddin and Dr Jalaluddin Saifi besides the Staff Officer to District Coordination Officer.

The special assistant of city nazim has been appointed as committee's coordinator. He has been directed to plan acquisition of funds from private and public sectors. Meanwhile, Dr Fayaz Alam has described the diagnostic centre project a significant progress and said that it was a long pending demand of citizens.

He said that the facility of MRI in particular would benefit the poor and middle income people, as it average cost was Rs9000 in private hospitals whereas at city government's diagnostic centre it would be available at very little charges. He said the needy persons would be provided this facility free of cost through Zakat fund.

SAFARI PARK: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan has allowed the Safari Park management to develop a special enclosure for lions, to provide them with natural environment, District officer (Parks) Mansoor Kazi said.

The enclosure would match the one at the Lahore Zoo, where these wild animals would be provided a jungle-like environment, Mr Kazi added, saying that the Safari Park enclosure would be five-times bigger than the one in Lahore.

Spreading over four acres, the enclosure, to be constructed at a cost of Rs10 million, would have a thick 'forest,' two waterfalls and two caves. Because of provision of natural environment, the breeding of Asian tigers was expected here, Mr Kazi said, adding that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had declared the tigers an endangered species.

'According to him, the international experts had declared the Safari Park environment most suited for breeding of animals, including Lama, American Red Deer, Japanese Sika Deer, Bangladeshi Deer, Cheetal, local black deer, gazelle, white and European antelopes.

The new enclosure had been designed after consultations among a noted engineering firm, Mr Kazi and DDO Dr Kazim Hussain. Mr Kazi said the city government's Services department would supervise the construction of the enclosure. -APP