LOWER DIR: Residents of Luqman Banda, a remote area in Khall tehsil of Lower Dir, have complained that the area’s only Basic Health Unit (BHU), serving an estimated population of 16,000, has been left without essential medical staff, depriving residents of healthcare services.

Speaking to journalists in Timergara on Tuesday, elders Anwarul Haq, Nawab Bacha and Haider Rehman said the facility currently had no doctor, lady health visitor or medical technician.

They alleged that the BHU was effectively being run by only a watchman, a sweeper and a gardener, leaving patients with no option but to travel to distant health facilities for medical care.

The elders said the matter had been repeatedly brought to the notice of the relevant health authorities, but no practical steps had been taken to address the staff shortage.

They urged the provincial government and the health department to immediately appoint the required medical staff to the facility, warning that residents would be forced to protest if the issue was not resolved without delay.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2026