Lockdown decision taken in collaboration with Federal govt

F.P. Report

ABBOTTABAD: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan Thursday said that decisions regarding lockdown and corona virus prevention measures in the province have been taken unanimously in collaboration with the federal government.

In the current crisis in Corona, it is more important for the government to save lives than jobs, but it is also fully aware of the plight of traders and their employees affected due to lockdown, the Chief Minister said. The government is helping them in every possible way according to its resources while a plan of action will also be worked out to reopen the closed businesses of the traders. He said all the needs of hospitals and medical staff would be met for the treatment of Corona patients. He gave this assurance after visiting the Quarantine Center and King Abdullah Hospital in Mansehra and briefed the district administration on the situation at Circuit House and its prevention measures, prices and availability of all essential food items including flour and health facilities.

During the briefing Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Dr. Kazim Niaz, MNA Saleh Mohammad Khan, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Population Welfare Syed Ahmed Hussain Shah, Members of Provincial Assembly Babar Saleem Swati, Nawabzada Farid Salahuddin, Laiq Mohammad Khan, Health Secretary Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah District administration and health department officials also present. While giving a detailed briefing to the Chief Minister, Deputy Commissioner Mansehra Capt (retd) Aurangzeb Haider clarified the situation of Corona epidemic including quarantine and isolation centers setup in Mansehra district, essential food items and health facilities.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan lauded the performance of the departments carrying out essential services including the health department and district administration in their efforts to control the corona virus and directed the health department in particular to provide 24 essential medical personnel in quarantine centers and isolation wards. Ensure hourly attendance while laboratory facility has been provided in Hazara for crying test, the Chief Minister directed.

He said that necessary equipment and other required equipment have been procured and provided to King Abdullah Hospital while ICUKA equipment is also in the process of procurement. He directed to install the already approved Central Oxygen System in the district hospital soon.

The Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said that newly recruited doctors have been provided to various primary health centers in the district while nine BHUs have been set up in MPA Nawabzada Farid constituency. Doctors will also be provided soon to these facilities, the Chief Minister assured. He also assured of setting up a BHU in Dodial, providing funds for hospitals under construction at Ogi and Balakot and taking steps to further improve health facilities in the entire province after the Corona crisis.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan also expressed satisfaction over the abundant availability of flour and reduction in food prices. However, he directed the district administration to meet the target of procuring wheat for future needs. The Chief Minister Mahmood Khan directed the concerned authorities that the patients of Corona should not be deprived of any possible facilities while special care should be taken of the patients of Corona belonging to Tablighi Jamaat and the district. Steps should be taken to repatriate the foreign patients of the Tablighi Jamaat in India as soon as possible, he informed.

Briefing the Chief Minister, Deputy Commissioner Captain (Retd) Aurangzeb Haider said that a total of 245 cases of Corona have been reported in Mansehra district at present out of which 58 have been confirmed as Corona virus and five patients have died while the tests of 166 have come as negative. He said that test results of 14 patients are awaited and five patients have recovered. He said that out of them 61 Coronavirus victims belong to Tablighi Jamaat including 41 foreign preachers and 20 have tested positive.

He said that eight quarantines and eight isolation centers have been setup in the district. He said that so far 42,000 beneficiaries have been disbursed under Ehsaas Kifalat Program in the district and the prices of essential commodities in the district have come down as compared to January. Earlier, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan also visited the Quarantine Center at Government Elementary College Ghazi Kot Mansehra and King Abdullah Hospital and inquired about the facilities provided to the patients there. During the briefing, the members of Mansehra Provincial Assembly termed the performance of all concerned departments including district administration regarding flour crisis, Ehsaas Program and Corona as exemplary and apprised the Chief Minister of health sector issues in their respective constituencies.