Rifaqat Ullah Razarwal
CHARSADDA: District Head Quarter (DHQ) hospital staff has failed to provide the health care to their poor patients after locals of the area raised questions over emergency services of hospital. The health facility visited by over 1,500 people daily, is almost deserted by 1pm as the majority of the staff, which includes doctors, paramedics as well as sweepers, leave for home by then. The patients go back their home after they do not get treatment at hospital.
Sareer Khan, his 3rd grade daughter was a stomach problem said, In the district set up, the main hospital in pathetic condition, due to staff protest there is no services, every poor patient refer to private clinics by doctors, it has no clean drinking water, health professional are unwilling to work there because they have no incentive to do so, depriving an estimated hundreds people of health care. A visibly emotional patients Shah Wali said to media, Besides this, due to the rush of patients, many have to go back home without seeing a doctor while those who come from far-flung areas have to spend many hours under the open sky in the sun with only the hope that they might get a chance to see a doctor the following day. On the other hand, in various departments of hospitals, one can find doctors enjoying cups of tea and biscuit inside their air-conditioned rooms while patients suffer, sitting and waiting for their turn. Zarghona a 60 year-old women stopping to wipe tears away and loudly grizzled that she is waiting for five hours to see doctors, every day women queue up to see check up by the doctors but the first preference at public hospitals is always given to government employees than to the residents of the city.
Due the protest of hospital staff the OPDs, Emergency, Operation Theater, laboratory and X-ray were shut remained. Dr. Asma disclosed the reason of protest and said that some media personal had exposed the lack of basic facilities to malign the doctor and staff but they don’t highlight the upright measures. “Some media personals expose the patience privacy which is consider unethical, which became a slur of all media persons”, she said.
