I WOULD like to draw the attention of higher authorities towards health issues in Zhob, the second largest district of Balochistan. With a population of 400,000, the majority of the people are vulnerable to malaria. There is only one government hospital in the district. The lack of life-saving medicines is the biggest problem. The hospital cannot accommodate many patients for lack of beds. The doctor-patient ratio is 1:8,000. Therefore a large number of people lose their lives due to lack of proper medicare facilities.

Till now health has not been a priority of any government.

The authorities concerned should draft a comprehensive plan to lessen the suffering of the people. Free medical treatment should be made available for the peoples of rural areas with more doctors and better facilities.

Inam Kakar

Zhob

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2017