GUJRAT: Around 100,000 residents of Jalalpur Jattan, the second largest town of Gujrat district, have to rely on the Civil Hospital, the lone public healthcare facility, which has just 20 beds and only three doctors, against the approved posts of 14 medics.

The locals have been demanding establishment of an emergency block and a trauma centre at the Civil Hospital since long but to no avail.

The town was once known for its power looms and was called ‘mini Manchester’ for being an industrial hub.

“Even the towns like Kunjah, Sara-i-Alamgir, Tanda and Dinga, which are smaller in population as compared to Jalalpur Jattan, have better public healthcare facilities since long,” a local social worker deplored, holding the elected representatives of the area s well as successive governments responsible for the dismal situation.

Official sources say that only one male and two women medical officers are performing duties in the hospital, whilethere is hardly any doctor available in the night shift, and the patients are mostly handled by the nursing staff, who usually refer them to Gujrat DHQ hospital.

They say that the issue has been brought into the notice of the district administration time and again, but no remedial step has so far been taken to improve the situation.

They say that the construction of the hospital’s emergency block had been launched around three years ago, but even its grey structure was lying incomplete due to the unavailability of funds. The officials mainly attribute this situation to the frequent change of the provincial governments during that period.

They say that an old building on a piece of land adjacent to the Civil Hospital was demolished a couple of years ago for the construction of a ‘state of the art’ trauma centre approved by the Punjab government, but the work could not start on the project.

The town residents also lamented unavailability of free medicine at the Civil Hospital in most of cases. However, they say, the needy people are helped by the patients welfare association that depends on the donations given by local philanthropists.

They demand the Punjab government to take notice of the situation and take measures for upgrading the hospital to the THQ facility.

Though Jalalpur Jattan had been notified as a new tehsil of Gujrat district back in 2022, it is yet to become functional as tehsil headquarters.

Sources say the health Cheif Executive Officer Dr Zakir Rana, who visited the hospital a couple of days ago, was informed of the issues by some concerned citizens.

Deputy Commissioner Safdar Virk told Dawn that the shortage of doctors would be overcome immediately through transfer of doctors to the Civil Hospital from nearby public healthcare facilities.

He says the provincial health authorities would be sent a reminder for the resumption of construction work of the emergency ward and trauma centre projects.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2024