TIMERGARA: Suspected Covid-19 patients and their relatives from Lower Dir have complained that they had been waiting for results of their test for over a week and the delay was troubling them.

Talking to mediapersons, they said they had quarantined themselves at homes after developing signs and symptoms of the infection about 10 days ago. They said their swabs had been taken a week ago, but the results were still awaited.

The residents demanded of the health authorities to set up a testing facility at the district headquarters hospital, Timergara, as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had provided testing kits to it.

An official of the health department said almost every hospital in the district had the facility to get swabs from suspected patients, which were sent daily to the public health reference laboratory, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar.

When contacted, deputy district health officer Dr Irshad said so far 713 patients in the district had tested positive for coronavirus. He said that results of 713 were still awaited. He said a total of 1,015 suspects tested negative and 188 confirmed patients had recovered while 12 died of the virus.

Dr Irshad said he was in contact with officials of the KMU laboratory for sending the test results.

Meanwhile, DHQ hospital medical superintendent Dr Shaukat Ali told mediapersons that the testing process would be started in Timergara during next five days. The MS also visited the proposed site for the laboratory.

KILLED: A tractor driver identified as Bilal Khan was killed when his vehicle skidded off the road at Speena Khawra, Rabat, here the other day. Meanwhile, Qaumi Watan Party provincial president Sikandar Khan Sherpao on Tuesday visited Chakdara and condoled the death of former nazim Abdul Wadood Khan who died here the other day.

Talking to mediapersons, he criticised the PTI government for its failure to contain the spread of coronavirus. He said the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had done nothing for the masses’ welfare during last seven years.

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2020