ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: The Ministry of Health on Thursday informed a parliamentary committee that polio cases were likely to go up because of security concerns in the troubled region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Health, which met here under the chairmanship of Ahsan Ali, was informed that the ratio of polio patients would increase by the end of this year mainly in Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The committee showed its concern over the rising number of cases as it has put a question mark on the country's healthcare system.

The meeting was told that 48 polio cases had emerged in Fata alone while 19 in various parts of KP, 14 in Sindh, seven in Balochistan and five in Punjab.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Women Development, which met here with Bushra Gohar in the chair, directed the ministry of health to submit a preliminary report within 11 days on the alleged harassment of nurses in the district of Layyah.

The committee said growing cases of women harassment in nursing schools and hostels needed to be investigated. It called for implementing stringent measures to ensure safety and security of nurses and creating a conductive environment free of harassment and hostility for them.

The committee also recommended to the officials concerned to support and improve hostel facilities for working women throughout the country.