NOWSHERA: The people of Nowshera, who had pinned high hopes on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for revamping the health system, said on Saturday that it had failed to provide them with the basic health care facilities.

They said that they were shocked to see the condition of the district headquarters hospital and Pabbi hospital.

Both the hospitals currently lack laboratory services and X-rays, ultrasound and other clinical and diagnostic facilities.

Sajjad Shah, who visited the DHQ hospital for check-up, told this correspondent that the hospital should have laboratory services, as poor patients were compelled to go to private laboratories located outside hospital.

During a visit to the DHQ hospital this correspondent saw that the lab staff was sitting in the sun and the laboratory looked deserted.

A hospital employee said that no lab facilities were provided to the patients for the last four days. He said that they had forwarded a demand list of the laboratory items to the health department, but the needed items had not been sent despite repeated requests.

A doctor said on condition of anonymity that the high-ups of the hospital took more interest in resolving administrative issues than providing basic facilities to the people.

A laboratory official admitted that patients were compelled to visit private laboratories for tests. A patient, Tariq, alleged that this was his second visit of the hospital for hepatitis test, but the DHQ laboratory lacked the basic requisites for the test.

A senior doctor also admitted that the hospital could not provide hepatitis test facilities to the patients due to uncertain condition of the DHQ hospital. He said that future of the hospital was not clear whether it would be part of Qazi Medical Complex or not.

He said that the government had allocated a big amount for treatment of hepatitis patients, but here the people were not being provided the lab services. Hospital sources said that ultrasound machines were also not functioning properly in female ward.

Another doctor who requested not to be named said that the X-ray machine was also not showing results when run on generator due to which the patients had to wait for hours for restoration of power supply in the area.

General councillor Khan Malik, who was present in the hospital, said that the PTI-led government had failed to provide basic facilities to the people of Nowshera, the home district of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

Published in Dawn January 22nd, 2017