Herat villagers: Little or no access to quality healthcare

Monitoring Desk

HERAT: Herat villagers on Sunday raised concerns over lack of health centers in many districts of the province.

Those who brought their patients to the provincial center for treatment say most health centers in remote areas are closed due to lack of doctors and lack of security.

“My child has a fever and the doctors said that your child is suffering from pneumonia,” said Khato Jan Kochi, one who brought his child to the hospital.

They say that villagers must travel hundreds of kilometers to bring their patients to Herat city.

“Doctors do not perform examinations correctly, they also do not prescribe medicine–they make us wait us from morning to evening and then at the end of the day tell us go to another hospital,” said Shogofa, a resident of Guzara district.

“It is very difficult for us to bring our sick or injured from remote areas to Herat city,” said Basir Ahmad, resident of Pashtun Zarghun district.

Meanwhile, the Herat department of public health admits to the villagers’ claims. “At the moment we are targeting remote areas where we have difficulties solving (problems),” said Abdul Hakim Tamana, Herat’s public health director.

Herat’s public health department said anti-government security threats have caused doctors to avoid villages. Lack of security has also led some health centers to remain closed in remote villages.

Herat residents say they lack required diagnostic and treatment facilities and so health workers tell many Herat residents to travel abroad for treatment.

Residents claim that the majority of medicines in the local market are low quality.

Also, residents claim that many private healthcare centers make their business more of a priority than providing care.

Meanwhile, the provincial director of public health, Abdul Hakim Tamanna, said they are not able to prevent the flow of low quality medicines into the local market. (TOLOnews)