April 30, 2008	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 23, 1429

DADU, April 29: Police, feudal lords and elected representatives are using vacant buildings of 17 basic health units in Kachho and other backwards areas of the district as police pickets, guest houses, cattle pens, offices and residential quarters, and the staff posted there is getting paid without performing duty in collusion with health officials.

A survey conducted by Dawn found that the buildings of health units had been under illegal occupation since ten years. The building of a basic heath unit in Makhdoom Bilawal village, some 15 kilometres from here, is being used as a police check post.Mohammad Akram, a villager, said that health services were badly affected after police occupied the building some 10 years ago. There are reports that some feudal lords are using the health facilities as their Otaqs and cattle pens.

According to the office of the EDO of health, police had set up check posts, police stations and residences of officials in the buildings of basic health units in Pat Sharif, Makhdoom Bilawal, Kasbo, Thallaho, Borari, Haji Khan, Gozo, Aminiani and Pir Gaji Shah.

Even the elected representatives of people have not been shy in taking their share in the booty as reportedly some union council nazims have set up their offices in basic health units in Samtani, Kolachi, Khero and Mitho Babar.

A government dispensary in Gul Mohammad, a basic health unit in Baid and health centre in Sita road are under the occupation of education department and a staff quarter of taluka hospital in Johi is being used by law department officials for many years.

Nadeem Ahmed Ghaloo, a social worker, said that Kachho was facing acute shortage of health facilities, where most of the doctors and health staff were getting paid without performing duty.

They paid a certain amount a month to the officials of health department in return for avoiding duty and run their private clinics, he alleged.

Dadu DPO Manzoor Hussain Khatian justified police’s occupation saying that police had taken over the vacant buildings for security reasons as the criminals had made hideouts in many of the buildings. If and when the health department posted doctors and paramedics in the vacant health units, they would vacate the buildings in no time, he said.

EDO of health Rafique Ahmed Kolachi said that police, education department, nazims and other government departments had illegally occupied the health facilities since 10 to 15 years. The department had written to concerned officials asking them to vacate the buildings but to no avail, he added.