Mobile health unit worth millions rusting in Parachinar

Published July 29, 2015
Mobile health programme vehicles left abandoned at an open space in Civil Hospital, Parachinar. —Dawn
Mobile health programme vehicles left abandoned at an open space in Civil Hospital, Parachinar. —Dawn

PESHAWAR: A mobile health unit, equipped with X-ray and other laboratory facilities, has been sitting idle among 12 other new vans scattered at the parking lot near the office of agency surgeon at Civil Hospital, Parachinar for the last two years.

These vehicles belong to the Directorate of Health Fata that oversees health sector in tribal areas. KFW, German Development Bank, had donated the mobile health unit mounted on a mini-truck that cost approximately Rs10 million.

The current market price of each Suzuki van is Rs650,000.

KFW, which has been developing healthcare structures across Pakistan, had donated mobile healthcare facility to the directorate to cater to the health needs of tribal people. The abandoned Suzuki vehicles were procured under the federal government-funded Lady Health Workers Programme.


Officials say driver, technicians and budget for fuel and maintenance of the facility were not provided


Officials in Parachinar, the administrative headquarters of Kurram Agency, said that the mobile health facility was transported from Peshawar without providing driver, technicians and budget for fuel and maintenance. The vans were procured to facilitate mobility of lady health workers in this remote area without providing drivers and required funds.

“The mobile unit has been lying abandoned since the day it was brought here,” said an official. Sources said that another mobile unit was abandoned in Dabori, Orakzai Agency which has been brought back to Peshawar for repair.

The rusty condition of these vehicles narrates sorry tale of health sector and misuse of resources in violence-stricken tribal borderlands where health delivery system is already in tatters. But officials claim that the system is perfect.

Of the total 436 health facilities, 86 had been damaged in militancy which resulted in reduction of availability of beds.

Available bed strength in all hospitals in Fata is around 1,705 while 60 per cent posts of specialist doctors were lying vacant.

Tribal people have to travel to Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore for getting treatment of common ailments. Few years ago, on the directives of the then governor Owais Ahmad Ghani the civil secretariat had closed down dozens of dispensaries and basic health units in tribal areas on the pretext of shortage of funds and non-availability of resources.

The mobile health facility was introduced in tribal areas in 2003 by the then governor retired Lt-Gen Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah. He had handed over three custom-built buses, equipped with all facilities including operation theaters, to the directorate which were donated by the Korean government for Afghan refugees in the province.

Later the mobile health system was expanded and officials told Dawn that 28 units had been inducted in the fleet so far having main terminal at Jamrud in Khyber Agency. Foreign donors were also lured to intervene in mobile health delivery system to provide healthcare to the local population at their doorsteps.

The mobile health system is being financed through Annual Development Programme for Fata and Rs45 million were allocated for it in the previous financial year. Initially cost of the mobile health system was Rs60 million annually. Officials claim that thousands of patients are treated at these mobile units every year.

It is worth mentioning that the health directorate instead of strengthening static health facilities invested more in mobile health delivery system. These mobile health units, which are supposed to facilitate militancy-affected tribal people, are operated more in other calamity-hit areas in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Dr Uzma, head of mobile health system in Peshawar, told Dawn that militancy caused damage to healthcare system in Fata therefore the government introduced mobile health system.

“In prevailing situation mobile health system is the best option,” said Dr Uzma, who is unaware of the abandoned unit in Parachinar. She said that she assumed charge about one year ago. “Local agency surgeon is responsible to utilise this facility properly,” she said but admitted that staff for running mobile facility was not provided.

Currently, the official said, 21 mobile health units had been handed over to the authorities concerned in tribal agencies while seven had been stationed at main hospital in Jamrud.

Dr Uzma said that the directorate was working out new guidelines for mobile system to ensure its optimum use. She said that required staff including doctors and technicians would be provided for every unit and the directorate would station those vehicles at the agency headquarters hospitals in the tribal agencies.

Director health Fata would directly supervise the system, she added.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2015

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