The deaths in Kurram tribal district are increasing with each passing day due to shortage of medics, as there is only one gynaecologist and a child specialist to treat a population of over 0.6 million at DHQ Hospital Parachinar.
The lack of basic health facilities and shortage of doctors and equipment are some of the reasons due to which the locals had to take their patients to Peshawar and Kohat which result in deaths due to long journey of about 250 kilometres.
The lack of basic health facilities and shortage of qualified doctors have forced the locals to stage protest demonstrations in Parachinar, Peshawar and Islamabad, demanding up-gradation of the DHQ from category-C to category-A and early filling of the vacant posts.
Talking to this correspondent, residents of the Kurram tribal district while protesting in front of the National Press Club Islamabad, said that high officials from both the civil and military had promised to upgrade the DHQ Hospital Parachinar to category-A, but the local people continue to suffer.
"We have been protesting for the last several weeks in Parachinar, but after getting no heed we decided to stage similar protests in Peshawar and Islamabad so that we are able to convey our concerns to the high-ups," said Shabir Sajidi, an activist.
Subhan Ali, another social activist who has launched a campaign on the social media for the provision of health facilities, said that it is unfortunate that people are demanding their basic rights but there has been no positive response from the government.
He said that every successive government has made tall claims with regard to the uplift of the erstwhile FATA, but the people in the remote areas are still being forced to travel more than 200 kilometres for basic health facilities.
Talking to Business Recorder, Dr Nasir Hussain, Medical Superintendent (MS) at the DHQ Parachinar, said that there are a total of 16 vacant posts of the medical officers at the hospital, adding that the concerned provincial government officials have promised to make early appointments on the positions.
He said that there is only one gynaecologist at the hospital and four other positions in the department have been lying vacant since long.
"Despite various difficulties we have been able to conduct 5,349 cases of deliveries during the year 2018," he said, adding that the hospital is in dire need of early appointments against the vacant positions of gynaecologists, as a single doctor is unable to handle the department because of the vast population and increasing number of patients.
Similarly, he said that there is only one child specialist at the hospital who is working day and night to treat the children both in the emergency and the OPD.
On 14 sanctioned positions of specialists, he said that nine are lying vacant and recently a few specialist doctors have to move to other districts because of their promotions. "We are doing our level best under the available health facilities and medical staff. But there is need to do more as the available facilities are not enough to handle the big population," he added.
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