KOHAT: A separate ward equipped with 15 incubators would be established in the Women and Children Hospital, Kohat, to save lives of babies born prematurely and needing great care.

District development advisory committee chairman MPA Ziaullah Bangash told Dawn on Tuesday that he had sanctioned the money for 15 incubators from his discretionary royalty fund in view of the recent deaths of premature babies due to the lack of facility in hospitals of Kohat division.

The nursery ward would cater to the need of babies of women coming to the Kohat hospitals from Kurram Agency, Orakzai Agency, Hangu and Darra Adamkhel. Earlier, people would go to hospitals in Peshawar to save the lives of their newborn babies.

`I have also ordered the transfer of child specialist Dr Mohammad Ishaq and two technicians to look after the ward. They will take charge of their duties and the nursery will become fully operational soon,` the MPA said.

The people have, meanwhile, demanded of the government to provide wellequipped ambulances to the KDA Divisional Headquarters Hospital and Rescue 15 for carrying serious patients referred to Peshawar in emergency cases like road accidents and blasts.

Sources told this correspondent that two ambulances, which were provided by the provisional government to the Rescue 15 centre, had not been operational for over five years due to lack of budget for repair.

They said that besides this the drivers of ambulances of the KDA hospital and Rescue 15 centre were not available in late hours of night and the people had to pay Rs2,000 to private vehicles for shifting patients to the emergency situated at a little distance.

They said that the ambulance facility was only available in the city and the people in outskirts villages had to arrange vehicles on their own.

They said that the private ambulances charged Rs6,000 for carrying a patient to Peshawar for a journey of just 60 kilometers.