ABBOTTABAD: Healthcare facilities in Ayub Teaching Hospital have improved with installation of latest equipment worth Rs220 million and raising of the bedding capacity of the ICU, CCU and emergency wards.

This was claimed by director medical of the hospital Dr Saleem Afzal while talking to media persons here on Wednesday.

He said the capacity of 16-bed ICU had been increased to 32, cardiology to 40 from 20, CCU from six to 12, emergency ward f rom 3 to 30 and neurosurgery ward from 24 to 48.

Mr Afzal maintained that a lithotripsy machine costing Rs60 million had been installed, saying two new ventilators had been added to the nursery due to which mortality rate among children had significantly been reduced. Besides, he added 25 baby carts with latest and most sophisticated equipment were also provided to the nursery.

The ATH medical director said a new monitoring system had been installed in the ICU and CCU, adding blood separator machines had also been installed in the lab for separation of red and white cells which had greatly facilitated the poor patients.

He said an ultrasound machine had been installed in the emergency, besides a CT scan and MRI machines for the indoor patients, adding an ef ficient nursing station had been established under the supervision of most experienced nursing staff.

He said additional tables had been purchased for the operation theatre, adding with the arrival of latest machines at the lab number of tests being conducted had increased significantly. He said the lab could now compete with any stateof-the-art lab of the country. He added that free test facility was being provided to all indoor patients.

Dr Afzal said the urology department had also been upgraded with the addition of latest machines, adding now patients could avail the facility of laser treatment at a nominal cost.

The medical director said the improvement in the affairs of the hospital was possible af ter the implementation of MTI Act, 2015, and empowerment of the board of governors to take independent decisions.