SWABI, Jan 8: Shortage of facilities at the district headquarters hospital here speaks volumes of the indifference of public representatives, who have failed to take the necessary steps to rectify the situation despite making tall claims. “There are three MNAs, two provincial ministers, one adviser to the chief minister and five MPAs from the district but none of them tried to fulfil his commitment about provision of staff and essential equipment to the hospital,” say staff members of the health facility.

Majority of the parliamentarians belong to Awami National Party. The staff members told Dawn on condition of anonymity that all the public representatives visited the hospital one after the other when they got elected and pledged to provide all essential facilities. “However, after a few weeks they forgot the hospital completely,” they added.

They said that faulty X-ray machine was one of the major problems. “We conduct only minor X-rays in hospital. All the major work is carried out by private clinics,” said a health worker.

The staff members said that there was neither medical superintendent nor paramedical specialist in the hospital. It is also short of paramedical staff.

“In the absence of medical superintendent, no one is taking interest in duty. As far as the doctors are concerned, nobody can ask them,” said a staff member.

He said that there was only a 12-bed children ward in the hospital for the entire district. Usually, two to three children were admitted on a single bed, he added.

One of the ministers told this correspondent when he visited the children ward a few days ago that the stench was so unbearable that he had to rush out of the ward. “I don't know how the patients are staying there,” he said.

However, the same minister never bothered to visit the hospital again or take steps for improving its condition.

Two generators at the hospital are also out of order. “The cost of each generator is about Rs1.5 million to Rs2 million but nobody takes interest in repairing them. During prolonged loadshedding, the entire hospital plunged into darkness,” the staffers say.

The hospital administration deposited Rs55,000 with the SNGPL in March last for getting a connection of natural gas. “We have brought it in the notice of parliamentarians time and again but they have done nothing in this regard. They always claim that the hospital would get natural gas very soon,” they added.

The patients say that they are often referred to the three private hospitals situated right in front of the DHQ hospital. “The doctors have established their private clinics outside the hospital and some of them work in private hospitals after the duty,” they say.