MUZAFFARGARH: As many as 21 dispensaries which had been closed in 2007 could not be made operative.

Official of defunct district council, Sadiq Husain, said the last letter (No.SO-D-III 4-44) was received from secretary local government on July 20, 2007 where he asked the then DCO to appoint dispensers, technicians, midwives, and doctors in all dispensaries but the district administration failed to run these units for villagers. He said the district administration was utilising the allocations for other purposes.

He said the dispensaries had been running since the introduction of local bodies system and thousands of patients were treated by the local doctors and the district council paid them salaries.

In the dispensaries, he said the last course for ‘dais’ had been organised in 1988 which was useful for village women. But later the Punjab government had abolished the course, introduced midwifery programme and recruited midwives.

He said the dispensaries had been set up where no basic health unit or rural health centre existed. The dispensaries provided mother health care and each unit had a vaccinator, a medical officer, a lady health visitor and an assistant medical officer. The dispensaries were under the control of district health officer.

Mr Husain said the last renovation of the centres had been done in 1988. Some of these dispensaries were working in Rodanwala, Wan Pittafi, Bunglow Hunjrai and Langer Sarai.

He said the council had allocation for free medicines for these centres but there were no doctors and other officials.

Mulazim Shah, a villager, said the dispensaries had their own utility because they worked full day and women could easily go there.

When contacted, District Coordination Officer Hafiz Shaukat Ali said an advertisement would be run soon as he had directed the district council officials to operate the dispensaries. He said the 21 centres would become functional soon. EDO (Finance) Nadir Khaleeq said letters had been sent to high-ups for appointment of doctors.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2015

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