PESHAWAR/PARACHINAR: Adviser to the chief minister on health Ihtesham Ali on Wednesday denied deaths in violence-hit Upper Kurram region due to medicine shortage and insisted that the government was ensuring the provision of uninterrupted medical assistance to residents.

The claim comes amid complaints of the local chemists and druggist association about the unavailability of medicines due to the closure of roads to the region for the last two months.

Leaders of the association insisted they had gone out of medicines, including vaccines and painkillers.

They claimed that medicine shortages had killed over 60 patients, including 31 children.

They demanded the chief minister immediately visit the district and ensure the supply of lifesaving drugs through helicopters.

CM’s aide says uninterrupted medical assistance to residents being ensured

Head of Edhi Foundation Faisal Edhi is also in Parachinar with an air ambulance to support the government’s relief efforts, according to aide to the CM Ihtesham Ali.

He told a news conference in the provincial capital that the government had sent medical supplies worth Rs12.4 million to Kurram on Wednesday, bringing the total supply to over Rs30 million.

Mr Ali said medicines were distributed by the Upper Kurram district health officer. He claimed that no one had died due to the unavailability of medicines in the district.

“The government is fully aware of the challenging situation in Kurram and is extending all possible support to residents,” he said.

The aide to the CM said the supply of medicines had neither been stopped or disrupted.

He said he personally contacted the medical superintendents of Parachinar and Sadda hospitals as well as the DHOs of Upper and Lower Kurram regions and learned that no deaths had been reported due to medicine shortage.

Mr Ali said due to road closures, medicines were being delivered via the CM’s helicopter.

He said delays in clearing and accessing medicines at airports were unavoidable but they’re being managed efficiently.

The health adviser said the third consignment of medicines and essential vaccines was successfully delivered to Upper Kurram and Sadda.

He said medicines and vaccines sufficient for the next two months had been supplied to Upper and Lower Kurram.

Mr Ali said emergency medicines had been dispatched to the medical superintendent of district headquarters hospital Parachinar and tehsil headquarter hospital Sadda.

He also said that 1,800kg medicines were delivered to Kurram on Wednesday alone. The health adviser said the government was committed to providing uninterrupted medical assistance and ensuring healthcare facilities were accessible during the current challenging period.

Spokesman for the provincial government Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, who was also present on the occasion, urged armed groups in the restive Kurram district to voluntarily hand over the weapons otherwise, warning that the government would be left with no choice but to take action.

“The issues in restive Kurram district will only be resolved once the armed groups surrendered heavy weapons,” he said.

He urged stakeholders to rope in the local tribal and religious leadership to convince armed groups to surrender weapons.

“The roads will open within an hour of the surrender of arms otherwise the issue will prolong and people will suffer,” he said.

Mr Saif said the government could take action but was avoiding it for a long-term solution to the problem.

He said the sectarian issue in the region had existed in the region for almost 130 years.

“The government is calling for voluntary surrender of arms but if it does not work, then we will have to take action,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2024