SKARDU, Jan 21: The issue of non-availability of lady gynaecologist and doctor at the District Headquarters Hospital here could not be solved despite issuance of posting orders to a lady doctor from the Ghanche district there.

This reporter has learnt that the DHQ hospital has been facing shortage of lady medical officers and lady gynaecologists for the last several months and which women patients, especially those pregnant, were facing immense problems.

At present the female ward of the hospital is being looked after by a lady health visitor and a male medical officer is treating the women patients. No lady medical officer has been posted in the ward.

On the repeated demands by the people of Skardu and protest demonstration by some nationalist parties a few days ago the authorities of the health department had released orders to an LMO Dr Tahira and her husband Dr Shabir (a chest specialist) from the DHQ Hospital, Khaplu, to the DHQ Hospital, Skardu.

It has been learnt that the authorities had advised Dr. Tahira to join DHQ Hospital here with immediate effect and for her husband Dr. Shabir the authorities advised not to leave DHQ hospital Khaplu until an alternate doctor is not arranged in the Khaplu hospital. According to sources, Dr Tahira is not willing to join Skardu hospital without her husband. Showing the reason Dr. Tahira said that she belongs to Punjab and her relatives are there. In Skardu there is not any familiar or relative with whom she can accommodated. There fore Dr. Tahira says that she can’t leave Khaplu until the posting of her husband here.

On the other side, the people of Ghanche district are opposing the transfer of Dr. Tahira. They said, in this case, the patients of Ghanche district would suffer. In a joint statement various public circles have warned that in case of transfer of Dr. Tahira the people would fully protest against her posting and have demanded of the authorities of health department that the transfer of Dr. Tahira be cancelled.

In Skardu, owing to lack of lady gynaecologist and LMO, female patients especially pregnant were facing acute irksome during delivery cases. Reliable sources told Dawn that four pregnant women were died during delivery owing to absence of a lady gynaecologist in the hospital during the last two month.

A heart rending incident was also witnessed by this scribe. Some twenty days ago a young pregnant woman was brought to the hospital here due to illness, but the patient who was nearly to give a birth died in the hospital owing to lack of medical treatment or operation. The poor relatives had no choice but to burry the baby along with her mother. The innocent baby could be saved by conducting operation if a female surgeon or gynaecologist were available in the hospital.

The people of Baltistan said that due to unavailability of gynaecologist, the people are compelled to get services of untrained nurses which some times results in deaths of patients. Some times people are forced to get the services of male doctors too. They have demanded of the authorities of health department that the vacant posts of LMO and lady gynaecologists in the district headquarters hospital here be filled immediately to save the lives of women patients.