May 20, 2003	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 17, 1424

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

PESHAWAR, May 19: Lack of staff, equipment and drugs have been adversely affecting the performance of the Emergency Satellite Hospital Nahaqi, doctors told Dawn here Monday.

The hospital, located near Charsadda Road, 16km north of Peshawar, was built as a rural health centre (RHC) in 1974, to provide health-care facilities to the residents of the villages of Nahaqi, Hazana, Saeedabad, Gul Bela, Jagani, etc.

However, the people seldom visited the RHC, because of lack of staff, drugs and investigation facilities until it was taken over by the Abaseen Foundation (AF) in July 2001, under the Public-Private Partnership scheme with the NWFP government.

Since then, the hospital has been showing signs of improvement, but is still a long way off the desired level of service.

Inadequate number of paramedics, nursing staff and the necessary equipment have been hindering the doctors’ plans to start admitting patients and launch the ENT and gynae operation theatres.

Likewise, even though the hospital has got one dental surgeon and a medical specialist, lack of staff and instruments is preventing the launch of a medical and dental ward where patients could be admitted.

“We have been receiving 250 patients per day and 40 patients are being operated upon for minor ENT, eye and gynae problems,” said Dr Mukhtiar, the honorary medical director.

According to him, they had entertained 22,000 patients during the current year.

The doctors say they also need an anaesthesia machine as well as anaesthetists to start operation theatres.

“We perform minor surgeries, but for major operations the patients need wards to stay there after operation, which we lack. Once the staff and funds are provided, we would start the ENT wards,” said ENT surgeon, Dr Shahid Masroor.

According to him, if surgeries are carried out at the hospital, it would lighten the burden on the city’s tertiary-care hospitals.

“We are supposed to cater to the needs of 200,000 persons that include 30 per cent Afghan refugees. The people also visit the hospital from Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera and the tribal areas,” he said.

“I was operated upon here on a three-rupee chit for an eye problem,” said Khan Bad Sher, 75, a resident of Hassankhel, Khyber Agency.

Rehman Bibi, 52, of Charsadda, says: “My right eye was operated upon in Peshawar by a surgeon which cost me Rs10,000. The doctors operated the left one here for a mere Rs3.”

The hospital has got the services of 11 doctors and 36 auxiliary staff, but the doctors say they need paramedics and nurses to start a 24-hour emergency service.

It receives Rs2.8 million from the government annually, the bulk of which is consumed by the salaries of staff. There is no development budget to improve the infrastructure.

Basically, it was built for the people of Nahaqi and the surrounding villages. The people visiting the hospital from other areas should pay more as a fee of OPD chits, a doctor suggested.