August 26, 2007	Sunday	Sha’aban 12, 1428

LAYYAH, Aug 25: The Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital, Choubra, is in a derelict state and bemoans neglect by health authorities as it is running short of all basic facilities including medicines to doctors and water supply to surgical equipment.

Choubra was given the THQ status in June 1982 and a hospital was constructed in 1986.

According to a survey conducted by Dawn, not a single woman medical officer was deputed in the hospital and only a female nurse was serving there to look after half of the population of the tehsil. In conservative society like of ours, due to certain social taboos women generally hesitate visiting male doctors.

No ambulance is available in the hospital for any emergency and people are usually left at the mercy of private vehicle owners to carry their patients to other locations in the district.

The THQ hospital is running without water for the past one year after its tube-well went out of order. Though the district government provided Rs450,000 for drilling a new 300-foot-deep tube well, the contractor drilled only 150 feet beneath the surface of earth and later refused to drill more which was a violation of the contract specifications. Following the objections raised by the hospital officials, the contractor abandoned the project. No action has been taken against him as yet.

Due to non-availability of water, toilets of the hospital have become so filthiest that nobody can think of using them.

For their own consumption or if any patient who is admitted to the hospital, the hospital staff fetches water from a distance of two kilometres.

Due to poor wiring and insulation, electric current usually runs through the walls and other structures during rain, rendering the entire building dangerous. At least, three patients received severe electric shocks when they came in contact with wet walls of the out-patient department (OPD) of the hospital during the month of July.

Though around 30 to 40 patients are examined daily at the OPD, not all are provided with medicines, as the pharmacy of the hospital does not carry necessary or life-saving drugs. The patients have to purchase medicines out of their pocket from the market. Due to the absence of water and proper electricity facilities during hot weather, no patient can stay here even for an hour.

When Dawn visited the hospital, many rooms, including operation theatre and labour room, were found locked. The operation theatre is said to be lacking standard surgical equipment. The only stretcher of the hospital was lying on bricks with its wheels missing. The intravenous injection stands and mattresses on beds are the things bygone in the hospital wards.

Duty doctor Qaisar Abbas told Dawn that on the directives of Health executive district officer (EDO), equipment and medicines were gradually shifted from the hospital to the rural health centres in Chowk Azam and Kot Sultan, depriving around 100,000 people of the area of basic health facilities at their doorsteps.

Dr Abass said permanent posting of a medical superintendent (MS) was vital to make this hospital functional as the doctor who held additional charge of the MS, Dr Ghulam Abbas, was currently posted in Chowk Azam and visited the hospital once a week.

The only surgical specialist posted at the hospital, Dr Muhammad Ramzan, is also performing his duties at the district headquarters hospital, Layyah, on the directives of the district nazim and he also visits the Choubara hospital once a week.

When contacted, Dr Ramzan said due to lack of surgical instruments and other equipment in the operation theatre and absence of any anaesthetist, no major operation was possible in the hospital.

Health EDO Fazal Kaream said they were recruiting new specialist doctors in the first week of Sept who would be posted at THQ hospitals and rural health centres of the district. He said that he had requisitioned more funds from the district government and provincial health authorities to make up the deficiency of basic facilities in all hospitals of the district.