PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has dedicated a separate hospital in Peshawar for dealing with the suspected coronavirus cases.

According to a notification issued by the KP government on Monday, Police and Services Hospital Peshawar has been dedicated exclusively for treatment of suspected coronavirus patients. The hospital will diagnose the suspected cases and provide all facilities under the national guidelines in this regard.

The samples from the suspected cases will be taken at the hospital and sent to the National Institute of Health (NIH) for tests.

“To establish isolation facilities for suspected cases of coronavirus, the competent authority is pleased to declare Police and Services Hospital Peshawar as facility for isolation and in patient management,” said the notification issued by Director General Health Services.

It added that all emergency and routine services in the said facility for general public will remain withdrawn till further order. Furthermore, it said, the public seeking health services from Police and Services Hospital will avail the health services in other public sector hospitals.

The notification mentioned that coronavirus has spread to 27 countries with 17,386 reported cases and 362 deaths till date. “There is strong likelihood that the suspected cases of coronavirus may be encountered in KP and especially in Peshawar district,” it said.

So far, there is no confirmed case of coronavirus in Pakistan. Few suspected cases were noticed, but the patients were kept in isolation wards and they are improving with treatment. In KP, suspected cases were reported from Swat, Bajaur and Mardan, but presence of coronavirus in their samples has not been confirmed yet.

The KP Health Department had earlier issued special advisory amid the threat of coronavirus and directed all the government and private hospitals to immediately report if symptoms are noticed in any patient.

The provincial government had also declared five districts of the province sensitive for the disease. The sensitive districts included Mansehra, Abbottabad, Battagram, Kohistan and Shangla. Separate wards were set up in hospitals in these districts to deal with suspected cases.

The government has also set up 194 health information booths at various airports of the country to cope with the threat of coronavirus.