WHAT happens when the way to a health facility is surrounded by filth and stagnant water? Simple. Irony dies a thousand deaths. The dispensary located in Sukkur’s Labour Colony is a living example. Apparently, the government hierarchy seems to be struggling to understand the very purpose of someone visiting a health facility. People do that to get rid of their ailments, not to contract newer diseases.

This health facility is an example that may help the authorities understand why waterborne diseases are shooting up, and why we are unable to control the spread of malaria, eye infections, skin diseases, and diarrhoea across Sindh.

Last year, heavy rainfall caused flash floods in the country, and Sindh was the worst affected part. Due to poor drainage, the floodwater is still standing in many areas, having converted them into fertile grounds for spreading waterborne diseases. When the affected people try to access healthcare centres, they unwittingly end up trying to access disease-spreading centres. The provincial healthcare system desperately needs better governance.

Fakhra Ansari
Sukkur

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2023