Health minister upgrades Dogra Hospital in Bara

BARA: Minister Health Syed Qasim Ali Shah on Tuesday announced Dogra Type-D Hospital upgrading to C grade in the Bara tehsil of the Khyber tribal district.

He inaugurated new facilities at the Dogra Hospital, including a 90 KVA solarization, a water filtration plant to supply clean drinking water, and a new laboratory besides administering anti-polio drops to the children.

Member National Assembly (MNA) Iqbal Afridi, MPAs Abdul Ghani Afridi, Sohail Afridi and District Health Officer Zafar Khan were present. The DHO briefed the health minister on the health facilities at the Dogra Hospital. The minister was told about the Zero Crossing Hospital on the Pak-Afghan border.

Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah acknowledged a shortage of health facilities in the tribal districts. He assured that the lack of staff at the Dogra Hospital would be addressed soon.“Our priority is to provide health facilities to the merged districts. Medicines were sent a week ago and now I have come here to check myself,” he added.

He appreciated the performance of the Outbreak Response Committee at the Dogra Hospital.The minister said he had been given the details of the nine inactive health centers in Khyber district. “As many as 12 dormant health centers have been made functional in two years,” he maintained.

He said 104-kanal Dogra Hospital was providing health facilities to the patients of Peshawar’s suburbs in addition to the 0.5 million population in Bara sub-division.The number of patients at the OPD per month at the hospital is 15000. facilities are available there round-the-clock. The minister said the OPD and diagnostic facilities would start in the evening as well.