PESHAWAR, Nov 30: The World Health Organisation (WHO) plans to set up the acute respiratory infection (ARI) centres in 11 more districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to provide treatment to the children suffering from cold-related diseases, it is learnt.

Ten such centres are operational in Dir, Battagram, Haripur, Swat, Buner, Shangla, Abbottabad, Kohistan and Mansehra districts where temperature remains low during winter season.

According to the health department officials, the ARI centres established in district headquarters hospitals have already been provided with the required equipment, medicines and kits, while their doctors and paramedics have undergone training for better treatment of children's health problems, especially respiratory and chest infections and pneumonia.

Officials told Dawn on Wednesday that these centres had been treating acute respiratory infection sufferers.

They said plans were also being made to set up such facilities in Mardan, DI Khan, Swabi, Charsadda and seven other districts to contain the disease caused by cold weather.

Officials said the WHO had requested the department to appoint the executive district officers (health) in the respective districts as focal persons for liaison with director-general (health) office. They said these centres would send reports on the number of patients and their problems to the provincial government and the WHO.

“These reports will be used for the formulation of policies for control and prevention of diseases among children,” said an official, adding that they would reveal disease prevalence for desired interventions by the government.

Officials said staff at ARI centres offered health tips to the parents of sick children besides free treatment, adding that these facilities would also act as centres for the training of doctors and paramedics.

They said the ARI centres had also been linked with teaching hospitals in the province, while a referral system had been put in place. They further said the critically-ill patients would be sent to teaching hospitals for management.