WANA, May 5: A tribal jirga of three major tribes of the South Waziristan Agency, held here on Sunday, has voiced concern over the lack of hospitals and clinics in their respective localities.

Hundreds of people from the Mahsud, Wazir and Barki tribes attended the grand meeting.

Speakers on the occasion pointed out that the government had sanctioned 10 civil dispensaries for the agency in the Annual Development Programme (2001-02), but no action had been taken so far in this regard.

Prominent Maliks and social workers of the area, including Malik Khanzada Wazir, Malik Amir Mohammad Wazir, SWA Peace Committee President Gulsa Khan Mahsud, Dr Mohammad Qareeb Barki and others spoke at the meeting.

They, stressing on the government to start work on the dispensaries without any delay, said the tribesmen of the South Waziristan Agency faced a lot of problems owing to the non-availability of hospitals. They were also critical of the authorities’ inaction in providing health-care facilities in the areas.