SHANGLA: Residents of Martung tehsil here have demanded of the government to make the rural health centre (RHC), Martung, operational and establish a quarantine centre/isolation ward in the facility.

They told mediapersons here on Thursday that old building of the hospital was demolished in 2017 and it was upgraded to RHC from basic health unit, but despite its completion the facility could not be made operational as yet.

Awais Anwar Yousafzai, a resident of the area, said a coronavirus case had already emerged in the area besides several suspected cases, but there was no hospital or quarantine centre in Martung.

He said that construction of the RHC was almost complete and only some electric work was pending which was delaying its handing over to the health department. He said that currently the area people had to take their patients to a hospital in Aloch Puran.

Akbar Hussain, a former district councillor, said the government had established a first class building for the hospital, but it needed to be opened on urgent basis to provide healthcare facilities to the people.

He said that the health department should immediately post staff to the hospital.

Ali Bahadar Khan, an elder, said that it was the only health facility for the people of entire Martung tehsil, but lying closed for the last three years.

“I met the DHO and he has told me that the hospital would be opened after installation of electric transformer in it,” said local PTI leader Abdul Maula.

WALK-THROUGH GATE: The district administration installed a walk-through disinfection gate at the entrance of district headquarters hospital, Alpuri, on Thursday.

A spokesman for the hospital, Dr Sharifullah, told this scribe that the administration had set up the walk-through gate to keep the hospital safe from the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, assistant commissioner Wajid Ali visited Alpuri bazaar and sealed several shops over profiteering and selling expired foodstuff.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2020