DHQ hospitals granted autonomy, Chitral to have burn centre

PESHAWAR, March 14: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Minister Shaukat Ali Yousafzai on Friday announced autonomous status for all district headquarters hospitals of the province and said it would help improve patient care and efficiency at the hospitals. Addressing a news conference at the Officers’ Mess here, the minister also announced free dialysis and kidney transplant for poor patients. Besides, burn centres will be set up in Chitral and some other districts. “We’ve released Rs100 million to the Institute of Kidney Diseases, Peshawar for free kidney transplant, while Rs75 million has been given to ensure free dialysis services. We will establish new dialyses centres in Malakand, Battagram, Swabi and two southern districts,” he said. Mr Yousafzai said the province had only four tertiary health centres, including Khyber Teaching Hospital, Lady Reading Hospital, Ayub Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex, which were under pressure due to the influx of patients from across the province, but things were set to improve. “Now, the people of all 25 districts will get health facilities on their doorstep,” he said. The minister said autonomous hospitals would meet shortage of medical staff and acquire machinery on their own within the shortest possible time unlike the past when the process took much more time. He said the number of senior registrars at hospitals would be increased. Mr Yousafzai said the government had released Rs1.2 billion for emergency services, Rs12.5 million for insulin bank, Rs200 million for immunisation and Rs300 million for maternal health services. He said the insulin bank had been established, where free insulin was available for diabetic patients. The minister said a memorandum of understanding had been signed for the establishment of burns centres in Dir, Chitral and Bannu and those centres would be established very soon. He said service structure for doctors would be part of the next annual development programme, while a committee was being formed to suggest service structure for paramedics and nurses. Mr Yousafzai said the stipend of nursing students had been increased from Rs3,600 to Rs5,000.  ]]>