KOHAT: The KDA Teaching Hospital here has long been facing shortage doctors and equipment, especially in the operation theatres.

Talking to Dawn on Sunday, deputy medical superintendent Dr Hashim said the hospital was meant to cater to the health needs of people from across Kohat and the neighbouring Kurram tribal district. He said doctors were working under pathetic conditions.

He said the operation theater was short of the required equipment.

Mr Hashim said 90 posts of medical specialists and medical officers were lying vacant.

He said the KDA hospital was bearing the burden of the hefty utility bills of the only government medical college, which was strangely being run in the private capacity charging millions of rupees annually from students in fees.

He said the hospital’s 80 kanals of land had been illegally occupied by the Al-Shifa and Eye Trust Hospital.

Meanwhile, sources said the important posts of psychiatrist, pathologist, radiologist, pediatric surgeon and anesthetists had been lying vacant for a decade.

They said the hospital had no CT Scan, MRI, and equipment for treatment of trauma patients. He said the hospital was also in need of Doppler Ultrasound and dialysis machines, besides a blood bank, and 24-hour-functioning pathology and hematology labs.

They said the hospital also needed the X-Ray machine giving coloured results.

PROTEST CONTINUES: The protest sit-in staged by the followers of saint Syed Mian Anwar at the Kacha Square in Orakzai against the closure of the shrine entered the 24th day on Sunday.

It was addressed by the leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party, including former National Assembly deputy speaker Faisal Kareem Kundi, Akhunzada Chattan and former senator Syed Iftikhar Shirazi.

They announced their complete support to the protesters’ demand that the shrine should be immediately opened.

They said the shrine was closed after the 2010 turmoil, but peace had been returned to the region, but the site was not reopened to the pilgrims.

They said unrest was prevailing among the people of Kurram, Orakzai, Hangu and Kohat over the prolonged closure of the shrine.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2020