PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has transferred 18 doctors and 45 nurses to Bannu and adjoining districts to provide best medical facilities to the displaced people of North Waziristan Agency.

This was informed by Dr Abdul Rehman, provincial health department's deputy director personnel and human resources, while talking to this news agency on Tuesday.

He said that a consignment of 18 specialist doctors and 45 nurses from Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex had been transferred to Bannu and adjoining districts to provide best medical facilities to IDPs in camps, basic health units and hospitals.

The doctors’ team included medicines and trauma specialists, psychologists, gynae and children specialists, psychiatrists and physicians.

The doctors and nurses have started performing duties in different medical camps, BHUs and hospitals of Bannu, Tank, Lakki Marwat and Karak, he added.

Mr Rehman said that doctors and nurses had also been placed on the disposal of management of Khalifa Gulnawaz Teaching Hospital Bannu, district headquarters hospitals, Lakki Marwat, DI Khan and Karak, to look after the dislocated people.

He said that patients with serious ailments were being treated at Khalifa Gulnawaz Teaching Hospital where all major medical facilities were available.

“X-rays, and laboratory tests of ailing patients are being conducted free of cost while patients with major ailments are being referred to Khalifa Gulnawaz Hospital, Peshawar and Islamabad for urgent medical treatment,” he added.

Mr Rehman said that director general health services, Dr Abdul Waheed Barki, and director health services Dr Ali Mohammad were personally supervising the health relief operations in IDP camps and hospitals in Bannu, Karak, DI Khan and Lakki Marwat.

He said that Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar had already sent a contingent of specialist medical officers, trainee medical officers, nurses, paramedics of gynae and medicine with supply of medicines worth more than Rs1.5 million to Bannu for Waziristan IDPs.

He said the doctors and nurses were transferred for a period of one month and, if necessary, their stay would be extended, adding that more doctors and nurses would be shifted to Bannu.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2014