KARAK: People here have been facing difficulties in getting health facilities as 49 of the 107 sanctioned posts of medical officers in the district are lying vacant.

The residents have particularly referred to the shortage of lady doctors in the district and demanded of the government to provide the health institutions with medical officers according to the sanctioned posts.

Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, social activists Ahmad Jan and Noor Wali Khan said that there was a severe shortage of health care facilities for the growing population of the district, especially the womenfolk.

They pointed out that several basic health units were without a doctor. There is one DHQ hospital, two tehsil headquarters hospitals, two civil hospitals, four rural health centres and 19 basic health centers in the district.

The elders said that in the specialised categories the vacant posts included four of gynaecologists, three paediatricians, two anesthetists and one each pathologist, physician, psychiatrist, skin specialist, cardiologist, physiotherapist, and blood bank officer.

The social activists said that the situation in the health facilities in rural areas could be imagined when there was scarcity of doctors in the district headquarters hospital located in the city centre.

They said that six of 20 sanctioned posts of laboratory technicians and six of 13 posts of operation theater technicians in the district were also lying vacant besides seven of 13 anesthesia technicians. They said that special incentives should be given to the doctors and other employees who were performing duties in hospitals of remote areas.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2017