Govt to establish health institutes in KP districts

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to establish Khyber Medical University (KMU) Health Institutes in Dera Ismail Khan, Karak, Chitral and merged districts.

This initiative is part of the government’s commitment to provide education and health facilities to the people in remote areas of the province, said an official handout. A KMU delegation recently visited Dera Ismail Khan, Karak, Bajaur, and Mohmand districts under the directives of the Provincial Minister for Higher Education Meena Khan Afridi to evaluate the sites for these new institutes.

Speaking at a meeting on the project, Meena Khan Afridi said that delivering quality education and healthcare services to the remote districts remained a top priority for the government. “The establishment of allied health institutes managed by KMU in these underserved areas is aimed at providing much-needed education and health facilities. This is a core mission of our government,” he said.

KMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Ziaul Haq, officials from the Higher Education Department, and other relevant officials attended the meeting. The minister said, “The implementation of this crucial project will offer the youth in these districts access to high-quality medical education at their doorstep. We are committed to ensuring that all necessary resources and facilities are provided to KMU to make this initiative a success.”

The KMU Health Institutes will not only provide modern health education but will also serve as training centres designed to meet the growing demand for healthcare professionals in the region.

These institutes will offer specialized clinical services in areas such as diabetes, hypertension, gastroenterology, physiotherapy, nutrition, radiology, and laboratory services, which will be integrated with the main hospital of KMU.The provincial government, through the Higher Education Department, will ensure that KMU has access to all the required infrastructure and resources to establish these institutes.

The minister will personally oversee the progress of the project every week, while Vice-Chancellor Dr Ziaul Haq will make sure that both academic classes and clinical services will begin in the current academic session.