SHANGLA: Office-bearers of the Young Doctors Association (YDA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have raised serious concerns over the alarming state of health facilities in Shangla district, stating that residents were being denied their constitutional right to healthcare due to prolonged neglect.

Speaking at a meeting, Dr Murad Ali, senior vice president YDA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, along with Dr Salahuddin Ayubi, chairman YDA Shangla district, and Dr Muhammad Humayun Khan, president YDA Shangla district, discussed the problems being faced by the local population in accessing basic medical services.

Dr Murad Ali stated that education and health were fundamental constitutional and legal rights of every citizen.

However, despite Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf remaining in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the past 13 years, the situation in both sectors has continued to deteriorate.

Says public-private partnership to further marginalise backward district

“The poor state of health facilities in Shangla is visible to everyone,” he said.

He said all health facilities in the district, including Basic Health Units (BHUs), Rural Health Centres (RHCs), Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals (THQs) and the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Alpuri were facing an acute shortage of facilities, staff and equipment.

According to the YDA leaders, DHQ Hospital Alpuri, the only district-level hospital for a population of around one million, does not have a single intensive care unit (ICU) bed.

They said the hospital also lacked a coronary care unit (CCU), echocardiography facilities and qualified cardiologists or blood pressure specialists, badly affecting critically ill patients including those suffering from heart diseases, who are frequently referred to hospitals in Swat, resulting in deaths during transit.

Dr Humayun Khan said the hospital was facing a severe shortage of nurses and paramedics, with 28 nursing posts currently vacant, while over 50 medical officer positions along with all specialist posts were also lying vacant though a few recruited specialists were serving on an own pay scale (OPS) basis.

Criticising the government’s plan to outsource THQ Bisham, THQ Chakisar and THQ Puran under a public-private partnership, the YDA leaders said the move would further marginalise the already backward district.

They also claimed that out of 38 BHUs and civil dispensaries in Shangla only three currently had doctors.

EXCESSIVE POWER OUTAGE: Residents blocked the Puran-Martung Road here the other day, protesting against excessive power outage and the use of substandard material in the Puran tehsil key road construction, which is being built with World Bank funding.

The demonstrations were held amid rainfall, causing traffic disruption and inconvenience to commuters.

The protest was organised at Aloch on the call of a local action committee, with a large number of residents participating despite adverse weather conditions.

Protesters complained that the area had been facing excessive power outages and low voltage for months, severely affecting daily life, businesses and students.

Addressing the gathering, village council chairman Karimullah said residents had repeatedly approached the relevant departments regarding the power crisis but their concerns were ignored.

The protesters also raised serious objections to the quality of work on the Puran–Martung road, alleging that substandard construction material was being used despite the project being financed by the World Bank.

Meanwhile, a separate protest was also held in Alpuri Chowk against poor internet and cellular network services.

Residents complained that weak signals and frequent disruptions were hindering communication, online education and business activities.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2025