KARAK: Banda Daud Shah tehsil headquarters hospital (THQ) has been facing shortage of doctors and equipment since its establishment in 1991.

This was stated by social and political workers, including former union council nazim Attiqullah, former councillor Mohammad Ishaq and PML-N activist Abdullah Shah, at a press conference at Teri here on Wednesday.

They said that the hospital gave a deserted look due to the absence of health staff and other facilities. The social and political figures said that people of Banda Daud Shah tehsil were forced to take their patients to Karak, Kohat or other parts of the province for treatment. They regretted that even drinking water was not available at the hospital and the patients who seldom visited the THQ hospital returned homes thirsty. The speakers said that women of the tehsil had been facing problems as there was no lady doctor in the hospital. They demanded of the government to post doctors, including a lady doctor, to the hospital besides other staff on the sanctioned posts.

They said that if the government did not want to provide the staff and equipment to the hospital then it should be shut down so that people stopped wasting time on visiting it.

RALLY: The mine workers of Karak district gathered at Bahaderkhel area of Banda Daud Shah tehsil on Wednesday and held a rally against price hike.

Speaking on the occasion, miners’ district president Malik Naveed Khattak said that the government had failed to check price hike in the country. He said that the low paid employees and workers of different industries and mines could not afford the artificial price hike anymore as few individuals had been sucking the blood of poor people.

He demanded that a special package of relief should be given to the labour class.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014