Medical college inaugurated in Swabi

SWABI: The Gajju Khan Medical College was inaugurated here Saturday and the classes are scheduled to start from next month.
The inaugural ceremony of the newly-established college, held in Bacha Khan Medical Complex (BKMC), was attended by the Gajju Khan Medical College (GKMC) faculty, officers of the Health Department, faculty of Khyber Medical University Peshawar, parliamentarians of various political parties and project director Dr Jehangir Khan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser and Health Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai, both hailing from Swabi, did not attend the ceremony due to their engagements in Peshawar.
The college is named after renowned Pakhtun elder Gajju Khan Baba, who was from the Yusufzai tribe and ruled Pakhtunkhwa region for 35 years after the death of Malik Ahmad Khan in 1513 AD.
His mausoleum, built by the previous provincial government of the Awami National Party, is situated near the college.
Initiated by the ANP government, the GKMC has been completed at a cost of Rs460 million. The construction of the college building cost Rs80 million and purchase of the new equipment Rs300 million. The additional equipment has cost Rs80 million.
The government has also purchased 53 kanals land adjacent to the GKMC to accommodate the teaching faculty and doctors working in the hospital.
Speaking on the occasion, MNA Usman Khan Tarakai from the Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan said that people of Swabi had the honour that Sir Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Khan, founder of the Islamia College Peshawar, belonged to the district.
“The journey, which was started with the establishment of Islamia College, still continues and it will never stop,” he said.
MNA Aqibullah Khan from the PTI said the facilities available in the hospitals are not sufficient or modern but with the establishment of GKMC, all the local hospitals would be modernised and the people of Swabi would benefit from the quality health services and competent faculty of the college.
Prof Dr Iqbal Begum, principal of the college, said a major objective of the college was to provide contemporary medical education to the students in the environment that offers professionalism and at the same time establish a new model of training and healthcare.
An official said that at present the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department had worked on several health projects including the GKMC.
He added that about 164 specialist doctors, 395 other doctors and 1,500 paramedical staff would be appointed soon and they would take charge
of their duties in next two weeks.