PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Tuesday expressed displeasure at the government`s failure to set up a proper burns centre in the provincial capital and askedthehealthsecretary toappear before it on July 12 for explanation on it.

Justice Qaisar Rasheed Khan and Justice Younas Taheem issued directions during the hearing into a contempt petition filed against the nonestablishment of a permanent neurosurgery unit at the Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, a major government hospital, in accordance with an earlier order of the court.

The contempt petition was filed by neurosurgeon Dr Mumtaz Ali, who had earlier filed a petition for the establishment of a neurosurgery department at KTH.

The petition was disposed of in 2014 after the provincial governmenthad promised the establishment of that department within three months. However, it didn`t fulfil the promise.

During the hearing, Justice Qaisar Rasheed observed that it was very unfortunate that there was no burns centre in the province forcing patients with burns to go to other provinces for treatment.

He observed that few days ago, a woman with burns was shifted to Punjab due to the unavailability of proper treatment in the province.

The bench regretted that several patients from KP died on the way to burns centres functioning in other parts of the country.

Khalid Rehman was the lawyer for the KTH administration, Asad Jan for the Peshawar Electric Supply Company and Mian Hikmat Shah for the divisional superintendent of the Pakistan Railways.

Additional advocate general Mian Arshad Jan, who represented the provincial government, said worl( on the neurosurgery department was in final stages.

He added that the work of Pesco, communication and works department and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited had been completed, while the separate neurosurgery depart-ment would become operational by July 31.

The bench observed that encroachments near the hospital, especially by a railway track passing by the hospital, had yet to be removed.

It added that the illegal rickshaw and taxi stands were present outside the emergency department of the hospital.

Justice Qaisar Rasheed observed that the hospitals were meant to provide relief to patients and should not aim at the source of earning for the people.

When the bench took notice of the non-existence of burns centre in the provincial capital, the additional advocate general said the planning officer of the health department was present in the courtroom and therefore, he could better explain the situation.

The bench however observed that the health secretary was the right personforthe purpose and therefore, he should show up.

Petitioner Dr Mumtaz had claimed that the neurosurgery departments of the Lady Reading Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex, two other public sector hospitals of Peshawar, were overburdened and as 20,000-30,000 patients visited them every month.