MUZAFFARGARH: The overall health indicator of the district has been down from the fifth position in 2018 to the 34th in Punjab this year, Dawn has learnt.

The indicator is based on the doctors attendance, monitoring and evaluation assistants’ report, medicine supply to hospitals, labour room services, ambulances services and mainly integrated reproductive maternity child health programme indicators.

Sources said the ambulances service and medicine shortage were mainly due to the shortage of funds while other indicators stemmed from the negligence of health officials. The report mentioned that patients complained about the poor delivery in hospitals. The report mentions lady health supervisors complaints about the shortage of petrol and threats to them from officers.

The district officer of health said that it was true that Muzaffargarh district was the second last one in Punjab but it was equally true that the district was among the top 10 districts in Punjab in malaria, dengue and stray dog killing campaigns. He said in the last campaign his team had killed 4,200 stray dogs in the district, while 1,900 barbers were screened and trained.

Other doctors said that it was not their fault to meet the medicine shortage because it was the fault of senior officers in Lahore who controlled funds.

There has been no anti-rabbis vaccine in Punjab for the last three months. They said rural health centers (RHCs) and basic health units were facing shortage of medicines. One RHC medical officer said that his hospital had no budget for stationery.

Also, an inquiry has been ongoing for months against some doctors and an accounts clerk who bought capsules to kill stray dogs at the cost of Rs2.5 million and misappropriated funds. Deputy Commissioner Dr Ehtesham Anwar was holding the inquiry.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2019