DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Dec 20: Except for a few nurses and a medical officer, the entire staff of the district headquarter teaching hospital, Dera Ismail Khan, including the medical superintendent and his deputy, were found absent from their duty on Thursday.

Today’s survey of the hospital revealed that except Dr Muzzafar Kundi, MO, none other MO or specialist turned up after the Eid holidays. Even the nursing and paramedical staff were absent.

Dr Rashid Ahmad, senior medical officer, was away in Tank for attending session court for recording his professional evidence in a case. Two senior doctors are on a month’s leave.

Two more, Dr Iftikhar and Dr Asghar have gone on Umra leave, and the rest, including the MS and DMS, were absent.

Sources said that most of the senior doctors are more interested in patients visiting their private clinics.

Most of them associated with various medical centres and are found there even during duty hours.

Same is the case with visiting doctors who have clinics at Bhakkar, Tank, Bannu, Wana and other cities.

The health department and the director general health services NWFP, needs to act to correct these irregularities.

accidentS increase: With the start of the crushing season by Chashma Sugar Mills in Dera Ismail Khan, there has been a marked increase in the number of road accidents.

The main cause of these accidents that have claiming several lives, are tractor-trolleys overloaded with sugar cane which obstruct the vision of other traffic.

Although traffic rules do not permit the loading of vehicle beyond their body limits, but sugar cane is always loaded in a manner that extends all limits and occupy the entire width of the usually narrow roads.

During the past years, the local administration had fixed hours allowing these trolleys for transporting sugar cane, but this year no such arrangement was made.

In an accident near Pezu last week three persons were crushed to death when an overloaded truck carrying sugar cane from Dera Ismail Khan, lost its balance, while overtaking a passenger coach, and fell on it.