On the back burner : Over 80% health centres without doctors

Rawalpindi’s 24 health centers facing shortage of staff, funds.

RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government’s seriousness about providing effective heath care to public can be gauged from the fact that 20 health centres out of total 24 in Rawalpindi city have no doctors.

Health centres, which were established to lessen the burden on three major public hospitals, have been faced with shortage of medicines, funds, staff and equipment. Only four health centres have doctors. The rest are being run by paramedical staff.

District health department has appointed a doctor each at Banni Chowk, Sirajia Chowk, Akalgarh and Millat Colony health centres while the rest of the centres  have no doctor.

A health centre in Teli Mohalla has been handed over to a hakeem. These centres earlier worked under the local government but were later handed over to district health department.

12 posts of 17 sanctioned posts of medical officers, 20 posts of dispensers and 17 positions of vaccinators are lying vacant.

Similarly, various other paramedical and ancillary staff positions of heath centres are lying vacant.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2016.