SWABI: Major hospitals here have been facing shortage of insulin, which was being provided free of cost to chronic diabetic patients, sources said.

They said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had launched a special programme in August last year to provide free treatment to diabetic patients in the province and initially the programme was started in 15 districts, including Swabi.

The sources, including doctors, said that the cost of treatment of diabetes was increasing and as such it was difficult for the poor patients to meet the treatment expenditures.

Swabi Islahi Jirga (SIJ) members have also expressed concern over unavailability of insulin in the local hospitals and reminded the government of its pledge about the free treatment.

Umer Said, an SIJ member, said that they hoped the KP government would take steps for provision of insulin to the patients in the province on emergency basis.

The patients here claimed that insulin was not available in Bacha Khan Hospital Complex, Shahmansoor, the district headquarters hospital and other health units of the district for the last two months.

Fazil Khan, a diabetic patient, said that the government should fulfil its promise of establishing diabetes centres in the province.

When contacted, doctors in the two major hospitals of Swabi said that insulin was provided to the patients whenever they got the supply.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2019