KOHAT: The KDA medical complex that went operational in 2010 was in shambles and still lacked essential treatment facilities under one roof, as it was designed to serve millions of people living in the southern districts.

Initially, it was given the name of divisional facility, but later converted to district headquarters hospital, as a justification to operate two emergencies at the same time.

A senior doctor Zainul Abideen lamented they had repaired the washrooms by themselves, and had to bring water in bottles with them because the overhead water tanks had not been cleaned for decades.

An official of the health department when asked how they operate during power outage, he replied that the government had installed heavy duty generators but there was no money for fuel to run those.

The government had failed to provide sanctioned specialist doctors to the 300-bed KDA divisional hospital even after the passage of 15 years.

It was inaugurated by the former late governor Lt-Gen, Iftikhar Hussain Shah, who had reserved it for male patients by allotting the Liaquat Memorial Hospital to women.

Later, severe financial issues emerged and the hospital funds had been gradually decreased to merely10 percent.

An official, Rashid Bokhari said that due to the non-availability of funds the management had raised the costs of laboratory tests and the hospital had become completely dependent on such income.

He said that in all the big cities separate feeders had been reserved for the hospitals, but in the case of Kohat requests for separate feeders for KDA and Liaquat hospitals were turned down on the pretext that Rs20 million could not be arranged to rid the patients from cold in winter, and severe heat during summer.

It may be recalled that a neurosurgeon was transferred from Peshawar to Kohat 12-year back but due to the non-availability of necessary machinery, and staff he was asked to sit in the OPD.

The burns centre of the hospital, constructed from funds of ANP MNA, Ms Khursheed Begum, in 2008 was lying closed.

The sources said that many patients from the far flung tribal areas either died on their way to Peshawar or developed major complications owing to delay in their treatment.

They said that the residents of Kohat had to spend a large amount of money on treatment of their patients as they had to bear the travelling and boarding expenses besides paying fees to doctors and buying medicines in Peshawar and Islamabad.

The category of the hospital had been changed thrice. The then provincial governor had placed it in category A when it was inaugurated.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, government that came to power following the 2002 elections, downgraded it to category C soon after coming into power and announced that the machinery sanctioned for the hospital be supplied to hospitals in Peshawar.

However, after protest by the local parliamentarians the then governor retired Lt Gen Iftikhar Hussain Shah intervened and the government again placed the hospital in category B. The hospital was again upgraded to category A but sans specialists and equipment.

An official said that few influential owners of private hospitals had politicised the issue for their personal interest. There were several hospitals in the surroundings which provided the required MRI, CT SCAN, and digital X-Rays.

It was impossible to run the hospital with the present strength of surgeons and pediatricians.

The year-long protest staged in the courtyard of the hospital went unheard and none of the lawmakers, and the health department paid any heed to it.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2025