CHITRAL: The health department’s move to give additional charge of the medical superintendent of the district headquarters hospital, Chitral, to the head of the tehsil headquarters hospital, Booni, in Upper Chitral district, will affect the functioning of the major health facility of the district.

As per a notification issued by the secretary health department on May 30, Dr Faizul Mulk Jilani, the MS of THQ hospital Booni, has been given the additional charge of MS of DHQ hospital, who will act as its drawing and disbursing officer till further orders.

The post has been lying vacant for last six months after the transfer of Dr Rahman Afridi.

Senior doctor insists health dept’s move to affect affairs of both hospitals

A senior doctor in DHQ hospital requesting anonymity said it was not physically possible for a person to travel over 80 kilometres distance between the two hospitals, and in the attempt of managing both the hospitals simultaneously, he would lose control of both.

The doctor said even after the bifurcation of Chitral district, the DHQ hospital still served as the only secondary healthcare facility and its weakening position was affecting the whole district.

SHORTAGE OF STAMPS: The non-availability of judicial revenue stamps of small denominations of Rs30, Rs50 and Rs100 has put extra financial burden on people as they have to purchase the stamp of the next denomination of Rs300.

The stamp vendors have also threatened to go on a strike if the government did not make available the stamps of small denominations in a week.

The president of stamp vendors association, Chitral, Sarwar Khan told Dawn that stamps had started running out in the district six months ago and the stock completely exhausted in the district accounts office two months ago.

He said due to non-availability of stamps of small denominations the people had to purchase the stamps of Rs300 denomination for making simple affidavits.

When contacted, district accounts officer Zulqarnain Qureshi said he had written a demand letter to the assistant secretary (stamps), Board of Revenue, on Dec 4, last year, followed by five reminders, but to no avail.

He said fake stamps had been to circulating in the market, forcing assistant commissioner Chitral to order an inquiry.

An official in the office of assistant secretary (stamps) in BoR, told Dawn that they had forwarded the demand letter to the office of chief controller of stamps, Karachi, who had yet to respond.

Interestingly, the chief controller stamps put the responsibility on the printing corporation for not printing the judicial revenue stamps of small denominations on time.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2019