Four labs, two new blocks inaugurated at KMU

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Thursday inaugurated newly-established academic, administration blocks and four laboratories at Khyber Medical University (KMU) Peshawar.

These projects have been completed at a total cost of Rs690 million. Establishment of the labs was the first ever step of its kind in the province as previously samples of infectious diseases had to be sent to Karachi and Islamabad for testing. 

Addressing the inaugural ceremony at KMU, the chief minister said as per vision of PTI Chairman Imran Khan the incumbent provincial government was investing directly on public through various welfare initiatives adding that Sehat Card Plus scheme was a component of those initiatives. 

“So far, over one million people have availed free treatment facility under Sehat card and Rs31 billion have been spent on treatment. The government is also working to make this scheme more comprehensive by providing free treatment facility of bone marrow transplant, thalassemia and other diseases,” he remarked.

He said the government had earmarked Rs25 billion for Sehat card scheme in the new budget while a project worth Rs15 billion had been initiated to revamp the non-teaching district headquarters hospitals across the province.

Similarly, a project for the upgradation and conversion of 200 BHUs and 50 RHCs into 24/7 facility was also underway.

Mahmood Khan said in current’s year budget establishment of four new medical colleges had been included in different districts. Moreover, four tertiary hospitals would also be established at regional level so as to provide quality care facilities to people at local level, he added.

The chief minister stated that the government had recruited thousands of doctors and other paramedical staff in order to overcome the deficiency of human resources in the public sector hospitals.

He paid tribute to KMU vice chancellor and his team for outstanding performance and said the government would provide all required resources to make the university a role model for other provinces.

The chief minister announced the regularization of contractual staff of the medical university.