Bedding capacity of Mansehra hospital to go up

MANSEHRA: Authorities are mulling to enhance the bedding capacity of King Abdullah Teaching Hospital (Kath) from the existing 250 to 500 beds.

“The Saudi Arabian government, which had reconstructed the hospital after the devastating earthquake in 2005, has recently released a special grant of Rs720 million for its upgradation,” MPA Babar Saleem Swati told reporters here on Monday.

He said an agreement was signed between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the Saudi Kingdom around eight months ago and funds were released recently.

He said that besides upgradation of the lone tertiary healthcare facility in upper parts of Hazara, the Saudi government would also provide surgical equipment and modern machines to be installed in various departments and operation theatres.

In response to a query, Babar Swati said the chief minister had sanctioned a medical college for Mansehra, feasibility report for which was being prepared.

He said that Saudi Arabian government had also sanctioned an amount of Rs6 billion for a gravity flow water supply scheme.“The government has earmarked Rs1.25 billion in the annual development programme for the ongoing financial year for this water supply scheme,” he added.

He said that people of Mansehra town were facing scarcity of water as the water table had gone down drastically.Swati believed that successive governments ignored Mansehra district in terms of its due share in the development, as a result of which people were deprived of basic facilities.“I am thankful to the chief minister who sanctioned mega-development projects amounting to Rs700 million for the beautification of the city and its suburbs,” he said.