KARACHI - City Mayor Wasim Akhtar has said that measures are being taken to provide better medical facilities to people living in remote areas of Karachi.

A significant change will be seen at KMC-run hospitals and dispensaries soon, the mayor said after inaugurating the Child Health Institute in North Karachi on Thursday.

MPA Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan, Jamal Ahmed, DMC Central Chairman Rehan Hashmi, Vice Chairman Shakir Ali, Deputy Commissioner Central Captain Fariduddin and members of Japanese Embassy and JAICA were also present.

The mayor said that all facilities for child healthcare had been provided at this institute and it would now serve this locality in a better way. He said that KMC spent a huge amount on provision of better medical facilities to people of Karachi. He said it was good to see that a Japanese organisation had cooperated for establishment of this medical institute.

Earlier, Akhtar said that foreign visitors to the international book fair in Karachi would find this city a book-friendly and peace-loving city. Such events enhance magnificence of Karachi. Despite all technological advancement, the youth should keep its association with books. He expressed these views while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 12th International Book Fair at the Expo Centre on Thursday morning.

Provincial Minister for Education Jam Mehtab, Qazi Asad Abid, Mehmood Sham, Amin-ul-Haq, Mayor of Hyderabad Syed Tayyab Hussain, DMC East Vice Chairman Abdul Rauf, diplomats from Turkey, Indonesia, Russia and other countries, Pakistan Booksellers & Publishers Association Chairman Aziz Khaliq, Syed Asghar Zaidi, Awais Mirza and Waqar Mateen were also present on the occasion.

The mayor visited various stalls at the book fair and saw books of local and international publishers. He said it was a good omen that publishers from various countries were participating in the book fair. The organisers of the book fair presented a shield to the mayor.