QUETTA: Members of Balochistan Assembly have expressed concern over increasing cases of Hepatitis C and other fatal diseases in the province and demanded of the provincial government to immediately set up vaccination centres in all district hospitals and health centres of the province.

The members were speaking on a resolution moved by Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s Husan Bano Rakhshani during a session of the assembly on Thursday night.

The session was presided over by Speaker Raheela Durrani.

The resolution said that a large number of cases of Hepatitis C and other fatal diseases were being reported in different areas of the province and vaccines against these diseases were not available in most of government hospitals in those areas.

It demanded that the provincial government should ensure provision of all necessary vaccines in all government hospitals to protect people from fatal diseases.

Speaking on the resolution, Ms Rakhshani said that the government should take seriously the spread of Hepatitis C in the province. The government of Chief Minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri which claimed to give maximum attention to the health sector should fulfil its responsibility in this regard, she added.

Those who also spoke on the resolution included Dr Hamid Achakzai, Mujeebur Rehman Mohammad Hasni, Mohammad Khan Lehri, Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhel, Nawab Ayaz Khan Jogezai, Kishwar Ahmed Jattak, Prince Ahmed Ali, Dr Ruqaiya Saeed Hashmi, Mohammad Raza, Asim Kurd, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetiran, Syed Liaquat Agha, Leader of the Opposition Maulana Abdul Wasey, deputy opposition leader Engineer Zamaruk Khan Piralizai, Izhar Hussain Khosa, Mufti Gulab and Molvi Ma’azullah Musakhel.

They expressed concern over non-availability of necessary vaccines in government hospitals and health centres and urged the government to take notice of the situation.

They said the provincial government should approach the federal government and donor agencies for the provision of the vaccine against Hepatitis C. They said the supply of dirty drinking water and unhygienic conditions in neighbourhoods were main causes of the spread of fatal diseases in the province. The situation of water supply in the rural areas of Balochistan was even more disturbing where humans and animals were drinking water from same ponds, they added.

The members urged the government to take measures for the provision of safe drinking water to people in all areas of the province.

They suggested that the government should launch a campaign against all fatal diseases on the pattern of polio vaccination drives in the province.

They also called for the release of funds for the fight against Hepatitis C and other fatal diseases.

The house passed another resolution tabled by Nasarullah Zerey and Husan Bano Rakhshani regarding losses in recent heavy rains in different areas of the province.

The resolution demanded provision of relief to the rain-affected people who had lost their houses, fruit orchards and standing crops.

The movers of the resolution said that the Provincial Disaster Management Authority should be made more effective.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2016