CHITRAL: The posts of district health officer in Lower Chitral and drug inspectors in both the Lower and Upper Chitral districts are lying vacant, showing indifference of the government towards the people’s wellbeing.

The responsibilities of DHO in Lower Chitral district are being taken care of by the officer of Upper Chitral stationed in Booni, located about 100km from the district, while the drug inspector of Upper Dir district has been entrusted with overseeing the two districts of Chitral.

Former village nazim of Jughoor, Sajjad Ahmed Khan, said that a full-time DHO was needed for Lower Chitral to effectively manage the steps taken to ward off the threat of coronavirus in the district as any laxity could prove disastrous.

He said that Upper Chitral was equally important due to enormity of its area. He said the very aim of bifurcation of Chitral was to ensure effective administration of various departments while in case of education and health departments it was all the more necessary.

Mr Khan alleged that inordinate delay in the posting of DHO for Lower Chitral was due to dissension among local leaders of the ruling party, as because of grouping each one wanted to get the officer of its liking posted.

He claimed that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had always tinkered with the health department in Chitral and during past three years about five different officers had been posted as DHO.

When contacted, MNA Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali also said that the delay in posting of DHO in Lower Chitral was due to internal bickering of PTI activists.

Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2020