ISLAMABAD: The government of Gilgit-Baltistan has finally operationalised a state-of-the-art trauma care centre in Chilas city situated in the heart of the three greatest mountain ranges of the world, the Himalayas, Karakorum, and Hindukush region, to facilitate tourists as well as millions of locals.
According to senior officials of the G-B Health department, the construction of a trauma centre in Chilas city, the headquarters of Diamer Division, was announced by the former chief minister Hafiz HafeezurRehman, but it remained dysfunctional for over six years.
The officials said that following the devastating Babusar Top tragedy as a result of a cloudburst, which claimed dozens of lives, the majority of them tourists, the regional government started working to get the centre operationalised.
On July 21, a massive landslide triggered by a cloudburst left thousands of tourists stranded and damaged more than 500 houses, roads, and other infrastructure. The region annually attracts hundreds of thousands of local as well as international tourists who visit the area to enjoy natural beauty, especially the highest mountain peaks, including K-2, Nanga Parbat, and Rakaposhi. The region also attracts thousands of local as well as global professional mountaineers and hundreds of hunters who travel to the region to participate in trophy hunting of Himalayan Markhors and Ibex.
The centre was inaugurated by the Secretary of Health, Gilgit Baltistan, Asifullah Khan, at the RHQ Hospital in Chilas, the central city of Diamer district, which had remained non-operational since 2019.
To provide specialized trauma care services in the mountainous region, helping with quick response to emergencies. Officials said that the government has also issued a tender for procuring additional equipment, including the purchase of 80 KVA AVR required for the oxygen plant in the trauma centre.
Asifullah Khan said that Diamer, a sensitive and underdeveloped district, has historically faced significant healthcare challenges, but these gaps will now be addressed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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