SWABI: People belonging to different walks of life, including political leaders, on Wednesday demanded of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to establish a burns centre in the district.

They said during the last six months eight burnt patients had succumbed to their injuries due to absence of a burns centre in Swabi.

The political leaders said Provincial Health Minister Shahram Khan Tarakai had failed to take up the matter with the provincial government.

“The health minister should immediately approve a burns centre for the district,” Iftikhar Ahmad Khan, PML-N district president, demanded.

He said as KP Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar also belonged to Swabi, he should strive for establishment of a burns centre in the district.

“It seems the PTI government is not interested in establishing a burns centre in the district. The PTI lawmakers belonging to the district should pursue the case on priority,” district nazim Ameer Rehman said.

The leaders said burns patients often died while being taken to hospitals in Peshawar or Islamabad.

As the Gadoon Amazai Industrial Estate and various small cigarette manufacturing factories exist in the district, workers often suffer burn injuries. But, they are referred either to Peshawar or Rawalpindi after first aid in the local hospitals,” Alam Sher Tikadar, former PPP tehsil president said. He lamented that political parties’ leaders, during election campaigns, pledged to establish the burns centre, but failed to keep their word after assuming power.

HOUSE COLLAPSE KILLS GIRL: A girl was killed when a house collapsed due to heavy rain in Safroono village on Tuesday night, said police.

Local people retrieved the body from the debris. The identity of the victim could not be known.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2016