Medical teams reach KP quake-hit areas

LAHORE
PUNJAB Health Secretary Jawwad Rafique Malik has said that on the direction of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, medical teams have reached Swat, Upper Dir, Butkhela and Chitral to provide medical relief to the earthquake affectees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to a handout issued here Wednesday, the secretary health, in a press statement, said that orthopaedic surgeons had especially included in the Punjab medical teams as due to landsliding and collapsing of roofs and walls people had bone fractures and other injuries. He informed that one medical team had been sent to Chitral by helicopter.
Jawwad Rafique Malik said that he himself visited Mingora hospital and inquired after the health of wounded persons. Secretary Health visited Batkhela, Malakand, Saidu Sharif and Swat. He said that Punjab Health Department had established a medical camp in Nawaz Sharif Kidney Hospital Swat from where all the activities were being managed. Mobile Health Unit from Punjab had also reached Nawaz Sharif Kidney Hospital Swat and first day doctors of MHU provided treatment facilities to more than 300 patients. He informed that sufficient quantity of medicines, dressing material and drips had been sent with the medical teams. He said, ‘if needed more stock of medicines would be sent for earthquake affectees of KP from Punjab’.
Meanwhile, on the direction of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, a Disaster Management Cell has been established in Directorate General of Health Services Punjab to monitor health relief activities for earthquake affectees in Punjab and KP. This cell will work round-the-clock. Secretary Health has nominated Deputy Secretary Health (Establishment) Muhammad Shabbir Ahmed as focal person for the cell.
The Disaster Management Cell would coordinate with the medical relief teams to KP and the cell would be responsible to send more medical teams if required.