SHANGLA: Local residents have complained that the rural health centre, Karora, lacks equipment, medicines and staff, causing difficulties to patients.

Talking to reporters here, residents of Karora, Opal, Shahpur, Koz Kana, Serai and suburbs said the RHC Karora was the only facility for 45,000 people of the villages. They pointed that the health unit lacked a laboratory, X-ray machine and dental unit.

“We met with the local MPA, DHO and the then health minister in this regard, but they failed to fulfill their commitments,” Sayed Mehboob ur Rehman, a local resident, lamented, saying due to absence of a lady doctor delivery patients were referred to hospitals in Swat.

He said often patients died while being taken to hospitals in other districts.

Mr Rehman said the RHC was constructed by Erra in 2008, but 2010 flash floods damaged most parts of the building, which couldn’t be rebuilt till date.

Nazir Ahmed, a youth councillor from Karora, said they had protested several times for provision of the required facilities to the basic health unit, but to no avail.

He said people of four union councils were dependant on the RHC, but due to absence of facilities they were advised to go to either Swat or Alpuri.

“I have seen many people injured in road accidents die of wounds due to lack of surgical facilities and medicines at the RHC,” Ahmed said, adding the provincial government’s slogan of health emergency was not implemented in Shangla district.

Haji Azeem, a local elder, pointed out that in case of emergencies people had to purchase medicines and injections. “The local jirga met Shaukat Yousfazai, when he was health minister in the PTI government, and conveyed to him their problems, but despite assurance he did not translate his promise into reality,” he lamented.

The Karora residents warned that if the government did not appoint staff and ensured facilities at the RHC, they would stage protests and block Swat-Bisham road.

When contacted, district health officer Shafiul Mulk admitted to Dawn that the Karora RHC lacked dental, laboratory and X-ray facilities.

He said under an agreement signed with an NGO the latter had provided equipment to the health centre, but it got damaged in 2010 flash floods.

He added that the machinery was repaired from Islamabad, but it did not work. He, however, said a lady doctor would soon be appointed.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2016