TIMERGARA: Fifty doctors were appointed in different government hospitals in the district by Medical Emergency Relief International (Merlin) Pakistan to overcome shortage of doctors and other medical staff in Dir Lower.

A function in this regard was held at the DC Jirga Hall Balambat on Thursday with Deputy Commissioner Sohail Khan in the chair. The function was attended by health officials, social workers and administration officers.

The deputy commissioner handed over appointment orders to 32 medical officers, three dental surgeons, seven woman medical officers, gynaecologists and child, surgical and medical specialists.

Step to overcome shortage of medics in the district

Speaking on the occasion, Merlin district coordinator Dr Irshad Roghani said that his organisation planned to appoint necessary staff at district headquarters hospital, tehsil headquarters hospital and rural health centres in Dir Lower.

He said that Merlin would also provide free of cost medical care at the emergencies and labour rooms of the hospitals besides providing ambulance service to the patients.

He said that lower grade staff like lady health visitors, and lady health workers would also be appointed in government hospitals soon to provide health services to poor patients of the district.

The deputy commissioner asked the newly recruited doctors to serve humanity without expecting any worldly reward. He said that strict disciplinary actions would be taken against the doctors, who remained absent from duty.

TEACHERS: The residents of different areas of Dir Lower on Thursday demanded of education department to cancel transfers of women teachers under the rationalisation policy of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

Talking to local journalists, they said that women teachers from many schools in Dir Lower were transferred to far flung areas in the name of rationalisation. They said that majority of schools had only three teachers out of which one teacher was transferred.

The residents said that it was difficult for two teachers to run and manage six classes of the school though it had less than 100 students. They demanded of the government to provide at least three teachers to every school in the district.

The residents also demanded of the high-ups of education department to cancel ‘rationalisation transfer’ of women teachers in the district. They threatened to hold protest against the district education office (female) if their demand was not met.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2014