KARACHI, April 5: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has asked the officials concerned to ensure an early completion of the Rs24 million trauma centre being established in the city.

Chairing a meeting at the CM`s House here on Thursday, the chief minister received a briefing on the progress of work on the project. He was informed that 12 floors of the 14-storey building for the trauma centre had been completed. Mr Shah called for expediting the construction work so that the people could benefit from the health facility as soon as possible.

The chief minister also directed the officials concerned to finalise a healthproject under which an emergency centre after every 100 kilometres along the Superhighway and National Highway would be built. The project envisages availability of ambulance service, besides medical staff and first aid, at each of the emergency centre.

Mr Shah said it was his government`s endeavour to provide proper health facilities to all people of Sindh, particularly those living in the remote and backward areas.

To achieve the objective, he said, four taluka headquarter hospitals were being upgraded to district hospitals. He called for the completion of work on those hospitals this year. He also ordered the completion of work on Badin, Khairpur, Shikarpur and Mithi district hospitals bythe end of June.

The meeting was informed that the project to upgrade taluka hospitals was being executed at a cost of Rs2.427 billion.

It was further informed that under a crash programme aimed at controlling hepatitis, some 4.2 million schoolchildren had been vaccinated against the disease.

Packagefornurses The meeting also discussed a revised package for paramedics and nurses.

In that regard the meeting noted that the new package for nurses being implemented with effect from April 1 would cost the government Rs490 million per annum while a proposed package for other paramedics would cost it Rs750 million per annum.

The chief minister directed the department concerned to announce a joint package and implement it on April 1.

He was informed that a meeting to finalise the package for paramedics was scheduled to be held within a couple of days.

Earlier, Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmad and secretary Hashim Raza Zaidi informed the meeting that of the total allocation of Rs6.92 billion from the Annual Development Programme,the department had received Rs5.804 billion for the 122 ongoing schemes and Rs1.47 billion for 58 new schemes.

They said the department had utilised Rs2.615 billion so far.

The meeting was informed that seven thalassaemia schemes were being completed at a cost of Rs168 million whereas burns centres were being established at the Liaquat University for Health and Medical Sciences (Jamshoro), Chandka Medical University (Larkana), and other hospitals in the province.

The meeting was assured that these projects would be completed by the end of June this year.