Health woes: Govt admits it cannot access 55% of drought-hit areas

Health secretary says women and children in the area are malnourished.

KARACHI:

The Sindh government says it does not have access to approximately 55 per cent of the drought-hit district of the province, admitting that short-term policies are being adopted to overcome the situation in Tharparkar.

"Tharparkar is the most difficult district for the health department," said the provincial health secretary Iqbal Hussain Durrani. "Socio-economic issues in the district have made the situation dismal. Most of the areas lack infrastructure and medical officers don't want to serve in Tharparkar."

Durrani revealed that the government had issued warning notices to more than 400 medical officers. "Malnutrition does exist among the children and mothers in the district," he admitted.

He made these disclosures during a press briefing at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Tuesday. He was joined by other health officials, including Karachi EDO Dr Zafar Ejaz, who said that it was a challenge for him and his team to fix the health-related issues in the most difficult area of the province. "We will replicate the strategy in other parts of the province once we overcome the situation in Tharparkar."

"The overall [health] coverage is poor, not just in Tharparkar, Thatta and Sanghar, but all over the country. Birth rates are high in the desert while mothers are anaemic," said Durrani. Compared to the deserts of Iran and Saudi Arabia, he said Sindh's desert lacked infrastructure, claiming that it was the main reason for the lack of health facilities.

The top health official in the province, who deals with all matters as there is no health minister in Sindh, said that pregnant women and children below the age of two years, were being targeted in 20 out of 44 union councils (UCs) to tackle the issue of malnutrition. "This is the only immediate solution. The remaining UCs will also be covered soon."

Speaking about the unavailability of health facilities to pregnant women, Durrani claimed that traditional midwives were the preferred 'doctors' for married women. "About 87 per cent of the births are handled by these women. We are trying to collect the data and will train them," he announced. Durrani said that the access of midwives, lady health workers and lady health visitors will be enhanced in remote areas to resolve basic issues during births.

He criticised senior health officials for not responding promptly to health-related issues in drought-hit areas. "They should have responded immediately," he said, while accepting negligence on their part. Durrani said that out of 24 doctors who were appointed soon after the crises, only eight showed up for duty in the Mithi hospital. "We all need to show commitment towards our jobs," he stressed.

KPC health facility

Durrani assured complete support to journalists from his department, saying that the clinic located in the premises of the KPC will be improved. He said that the process of screening all members of the KPC will be initiated next week. "The members will be given screening cards and specialists will visit the clinic weekly for treatment of various diseases and conditions, including hypertension."

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2014.