KARACHI:
The healthcare situation in Balgatar is in dire straits. The local hospital in Balgatar – a union council located in Turbat district of Balochistan – is acutely under-resourced and lacks emergency medical services. There are no qualified MBBS doctors available at the facility, leaving the entire population solely dependent on nurses and basic staff. In cases of severe road accidents, critical emergencies or complex childbirth, patients are forced to travel nearly 80 to 100 kilometers to reach the nearest city hospital.
This distance frequently proves fatal. Tragically, road accident victims often lose their lives during transit, and mothers face fatal outcomes during delivery due to the total absence of maternal and emergency healthcare. For a community where most residents earn meager daily wages, commuting such long distances for medical emergencies is both financially impossible and life-threatening.
The provincial health department and higher authorities should immediately appoint qualified MBBS doctors, set up a functional 24/7 emergency care unit and equip the Balgatar hospital with proper medical supplies and ambulances. Immediate intervention is critical to save precious human lives.
Ahmed Khan
Balgatar
