KARAK: Khattak Ittehad, a local rights organisation, has expressed concern over lack of laboratory equipment in almost all the hospitals in the district.

The concern was voiced by the office-bearers of the organisation while addressing a press conference here on Friday. They said modern equipment along with trained technicians should be provided to the hospitals` laboratories to save the time and money of the poor people as they had to go to the district headquarters hospital or private laboratories to get their tests done.

They also expressed concern over shortage of doctors, particularly female, in hospitals.

The rights activists said trained gynecologists should be provided to all the health facilities of the district according to the sanctioned posts to provide better healthcare facility to women patients.

They said they had taken up the matter with the authorities time and again, but to no avail. They resolved to stage protests if government did not meet their demand within a week.

PENSION RELEASE DEMANDED: The United Workers Federation has shown resentment over the federal government`s failure in realisation of its announcement topay old age pension to the workers.

This was stated by the federation`s president Naveed Khan Khattak and other leaders while addressing the mineworkers on Friday. He recalled that the federal government had announced in its last budget that Rs5,000 monthly pension would be paid to every worker who had attained the age of 60 years as an old age pension, but regretted that the promise was not realised.

He said the workers were playing a crucial role in the country`s development but regretted that they had been ignored by successive governments.

The labourers` leaders demanded that the government fulfill its word by releasing the pensions to the workers with 100 per cent increase.

They also demanded payment of marriage and deathgrantstothe sonsanddaughtersof labourers, besides setting up a welfare foundation for the families of workers.

They demanded maintaining complete record of workers at the mines, saying a special hospital for treatment of families of mineworkers should be established.

The participants also demanded construction of a labour colony in the district.Correspondent