HAFIZABAD - Patients and their attendants on Tuesday protested against the non-provision of overhead shelter and seating facility at the counter of emergency ward in the District Headquarters Hospital Hafizabad.

They called upon the Health Authority chief executive officer and the deputy commissioner Hafizabad to ensure overhead shelter at the counter to facilitate them to get the prescription receit. They have also appealed to arrange seating arrangements near the counter to save them from the sizzling heat.

It is pertinent to mention here that due to crackdown on the quacks, there is heavy rush in the DHQ Hospital while it lacks proper arrangements of overhead shelter and seating which cause inconvenience to them.

The provincial government has provided all sorts of medical equipment including CT scan in the hospital and Trauma Centre but in most of the cases, some doctors refer the patients to Lahore, who die before reaching their destination.

The citizens called upon the CEO Health, MS and DC to discourage the tendency of referring the cases to other cities.

GANGS BUSTED: Police claimed to have smashed three inter-district gangs of dacoits, robbers and cattle lifters operating in Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sialkot districts since long. The police have arrested 15 accused and also recovered stolen gold ornaments, cash, cattle and other valuable articles worth million of rupees.

Addressing a press conference, DPO Sardar Ghias Gul said that recently three daring dacoities were committed in the house of Union Council Chairman Rasulpur Tarar, a big business magnate Malik Nazir of Solgin Kharl and in the house of Rai Muhammad Tufail Kharl, a local business. The accused had snatched away gold ornaments, cash and other spacious articles worth million of rupees. He said as it was a challenge for the police, he had constituted numerous teams headed by SDPO Hafizabad and Pindi Bhattian which arrested Saddique, Muhammad Yaseen, Muhammad Yaqoob, Nazir Ahmad, Saddique, Shahyar alias Heera, Ahsan and have recovered cash of rupees 11 lakh, 35 tola gold ornaments, seven bikes and six heads of cattle from them. He said that more recoveries were expected shortly. The recovered articles and cash have been returned to the owners after the press conference.