RAWALPINDI: The revamping of 30 Basic Health Units (BHUs) and Rural Health Centres (RHCs) will be completed by the end of December. Talking to Dawn, District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Asif Arbab Niazi said the government had launched a Rs51 billion project to revamp the BHUs and RHCs across the province and in the first phase Rawalpindi’s 30 health centres were being modernised. “The basic aim of Punjab government is to lessen the burden on existing hospitals and provide health facilities free of cost to the people at their doorsteps,” he said. He said that earlier these health centres were providing treatment to gynae patients only, but there were no ultrasound machines and patients had to travel to tehsil headquarters hospitals or the city’s three main hospitals for pathological tests. Says Punjab govt has provided ultrasound,ECG machines at these centres to facilitate gynae patients He said the government provided ultrasound and ECG machines at these medical centres where gynae patients would get the facility free of cost. Apart from the gynae patients, he said, general outdoor patient departments will be established in these medical centres where treatment and medicines would be provided free of cost to the patients. He said minor accidents would be treated in these centres while for major accidents the staff will give first aid and transfer the patient to the THQ or District Headquarters Hospital. He said the building department conducted a survey of the health centres after which work to refurbish the buildings was started. He said that in Rawalpindi there were 23 BHUs and seven RHCs. The building department has set December 31 as the deadline for completion of the work. Dr Niazi said after completion of the construction work, the health authority would provide doctors, trained staff, medicines and medical equipment. These 30 model medical centres will provide 24/7 treatment facilities. Six of the BHUs in Rawalpindi at at Bajnial, Chahan, Chappar, Dhoke Badhal, Dhoke Par and Hayal Sharif, one is in Murree’s Kali Matti, eight in Gujar Khan - Dhong, Jaja, Jarmot Kalan, Jatli, Kari Do Lal, Pothi Banial, Rame, Singhori. Three are in Dakhali, Hensar and Mwara in Kahuta. Two BHUs are in Kallar Sayedan’s Bukhardal and Choha Khalsa; two in Kahroor and Maloot Sattian of Kotli Sattian. Seven RHCs are at Daulatala, Mandra and Qazian in Gujar Khan, one in Phagwari of Murree and three are in Baga Sheikhan, Chontra and Khayaban-i-Sir Syed in Rawalpindi.