PESHAWAR, Oct 3: A major health facility in Bajaur Agency, a portion of which is occupied by the paramilitary forces, is lacking medical staff and other basic healthcare facilities, adding to the miseries of the patients of the area.
The hospital’s main operation theatre has been closed due to the absence of orthopaedic surgeon and two surgical specialists as the local population is facing great difficulties in shifting wounded to other areas due to the closure of the main roads and ambulance service.
Information gathered by Dawn revealed that despite high intensity conflict in the area the main hospital was without nurses, lady doctor and surgical specialists. X-ray and laboratory facilities in the hospital are non-operational owing to absence of technicians.
The hospital was upgraded to ‘category B’ last year to a view to cater to the workload. The hospital has only three ambulances one of them is out of order. The scope and intensity of the conflict is widening in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), but hospitals in the region lack trained manpower to operate upon war surgeries.
Non-availability of proper healthcare facilities at the main hospital in Khar, the administrative headquarters is forcing people of the conflict-ravaged areas to shift wounded people to hospitals in Timergara, the district headquarters of Lower Dir district.
“We have provided treatment to over 100 wounded people since conflict started in Bajaur,” said medical superintendent of the main government hospital in Timergara. He said that many patients had been discharged and others had recommended for treatment in Peshawar.
Sources said that a portion of the hospital had been occupied by the security forces, which was an unlawful act. Under the International Humanitarian Law it is unlawful to use a hospital in direct support of a military operation or to convert one wing of a health facility into an ammunition dump.
There were unconfirmed reports that many wounded people could not be evacuated from the conflict-hit areas, because of blockades of the roads by the troops or militants and non-availability of ambulance service.
“Only few wounded people have been shifted to Peshawar by helicopters so far. We have reports that many wounded people have been stranded in their areas and they need immediate response,” said an elder of the area.
Director General (Health) Fata Dr Fawad Khan, when approached, said that medical staff could not go to or stay in Bajaur because of the security situation. He said that only local doctors and other staff were available in the main hospital, who had been providing treatment to patients.
Dr Fawad claimed that the health directorate’s mobile units had been dispatched to relief camps for providing treatment to the internally displaced.