PARACHINAR: At a time when the country is facing an alarming spike in cases of Covid-19, the tehsil headquarters hospital in Alizai, Kurram tribal district has only three doctors for a population of 150,000.

Kurram tribal district has three major administrative divisions including Upper, Lower and Central. It has two tehsils -- Sadda and Alizai.

“Since creation of Pakistan, inhabitants of Alizai have been alienated and ignored by the authorities,” said a local Pakistan Peoples Party leader Arif Turi.

He said that in papers, there were 10 doctors in the tehsil headquarters hospital but in reality only three were performing duty. He said that the hospital also faced shortage of paramedics. He added that patients from Thall, the town adjacent to Kurram, were also depended on the hospital for healthcare.

Mr Turi said that the hospital had for decades taken care of the healthcare needs of Afghan refugees settled in Kurram tribal district since 80s.

Despite the fact that it is situated on the main Thall-Parachinar Highway with great geographical importance, Alizai has no tehsildar. He said that absence of a senior administrative official was causing issues for the local people. “Moreover, the higher authorities should construct a sports complex and Nadra office in Alizai on emergency basis,” he added.

Mr Turi said that the historical guesthouse in Alizai, built in the British era, was turned into a ‘ghost house’ owing to the negligence of local authorities. Spread over an area of 12-kannal, the building that is seen as historical heritage by the local people, is now haven for drug addicts and the homeless. The building has been badly eroded by elements and parts of its roof have collapsed.

“The authorities need to take measures to restore and conserve the building and declare it as a heritage site,” said Mr Turi, who was joined by other PPP leaders including Malik Zamin Hussain, Wahid Ali and Mohammad Ilyas.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2020