LOWER DIR: District health officer Dr Mohammad Nisar Khan Tarkalani has said urgent reforms have been launched to improve healthcare facilities in Lower Dir.

Briefing reporters at his office here on Monday, he highlighted that 33 basic health units (BHUs), four rural health centres (RHCs), 23 civil dispensaries, and nine mother and child healthcare (MCH) centres were being provided with medicines worth Rs800 million, half of which had already been delivered.

He said medical centres had been set up at the district courts in Timergara, Adenzai, and the district jail.

He said that so far up to 30 truant employees of the health department had been forced to perform their duties. “To ensure transparency, hospital revenue will now be deposited directly into respective hospital’s accounts instead of DHO office, with 90 per cent to be reinvested in patient care.”

Dr Tarkalani said that emergency and routine medicines were available in all hospitals. “Routine medical tests will be conducted in-house, with medicines provided from hospital stores. Several hospitals’ laboratories have been digitised, while RHC Khall now has an ultrasound machine. Advanced laboratory equipment has also been installed, reducing the need for external diagnostics,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2025