KOHAT: The residents have demanded Category A hospitals and trauma centres in Kohat division to ensure their treatment on their doorstep.

Complaining they’ve to travel to Peshawar and Islamabad for specialised treatment, they regretted that their and local administration and lawmakers’ repeated appeals to the government for upgrading the divisional headquarters teaching hospital had also fallen on deaf ears.

The 300-bedded hospital became functional in 2000.

Residents complain they’ve to go to Peshawar, Islamabad for specialised treatment

The residents told Dawn that private clinics and labs ‘looted’ them due to the unavailability of specialised facilities, women doctors and maternity services at the district headquarters level.

They said the private centres charged from Rs25,000 to Rs40,000 for handling a obstetrical delivery though it cost Rs2,500 at government hospitals.

The residents said adviser to the chief minister on education and local MPA Ziaullah Bangash and MNA from Parachinar Sajid Hussain Tori had demanded the upgradation of the district headquarters and teaching hospitals many times for the people injured in terrorist attacks, but to no avail.

They said many of such people lost life on the way to big cities. The residents said a protest had been held by the civil society activists inside the Kohat Teaching Hospital for the last one year.

They also complained that the government health facilities didn’t have any women doctors and specialists, while more than 100 posts of doctors were vacant.

The residents said the arrival of refugees and patients from Afghanistan worsened things.

Chairman of the Ittefaq Welfare Organisation Esar Bangash said Kohat division consisting of Orakzai, Kurram, Thall, Hangu, Karak, Darra Adamkhel and Kohat areas had a population of nearly three million but ironically, it didn’t have a Category A hospital or trauma centre.

He said all districts except Kohat and Karak had one ambulance each and in case of bomb blasts, volunteers had to shift the injured people preferably to Kohat from where those with serious injuries were referred to Peshawar hospitals.

Mr Bangash said Parachinar district headquarters hospital had the capacity to handle 172 patients but it had seven vacancies of specialists, 10 of medical officers and four of women doctors. He added that the Pakistan Army had constructed a trauma centre but it needed funds for operation.

“In case of emergency, patients are airlifted to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital and Combined Military Hospital, or Islamabad’s hospitals with many of them dying on the way,” he said.

Mr Bangash said there was only one post of surgical specialist, who would be transferred to other district after promotion. He said 10-12 doctors were awaiting promotion by the Fata secretariat and that they, too, would be posted elsewhere leaving behind only five doctors of BPS-17 and one medical superintendent of BPS-19. Experts warned that the KDA hospital would fail to cater to the people’s needs completely if it wasn’t upgraded without delay.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2018