Three of four RCB dispensaries still not functional

District Health Authority to set up HIV screening camps in Adiala Jail

RAWALPINDI: The residents of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) are left at the mercy of private hospitals as three of four dispensaries have not been made completely functional. The related departments of the board paid numerous visits and held various meetings but it produced no results.

The Ahmadabad dispensary was donated by RCB dispensary member Haji Iqbal and named after Mukhtar Begum. The doctor deployed at the dispensary, visits it once in a blue moon and so, sources say that it has essentially been handed over to the lower staff.

The dispensaries in Azam Colony and Dhok Gujran are still seeking an MBBS doctor along with related paramedical staff and equipment.

The dispensary in Soham is partially operative and provides the service of examining blood pressure and diagnosing fever.

Ministry decides to shut 14 out of 18 dispensaries

HIV screening camps

With surfacing of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases in different parts of the country, the District Health Authority (DHA) has decided to setup special HIV screening camps in Adiala Jail.

The camp will be established after meeting with the jail officials on security arrangements after which the inmates would be examined for the HIV virus. Sources in DHA said that HIV screening desks were already present in all hospitals. However, special camps would be established in different parts of the city. The authority would also provide treatment facilities  to people diagnosed with the virus. 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2019.