Hospitals hobbled by out-of-order equipment

Hospitals in nine districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have failed to achieve the 70 per cent operational status for its installed vital machinery and equipment.

A report submitted by the K-P Health Department points out that in Khyber tribal district only 33 per cent operation status has been achieved for the hospital equipment.

“The report states that in many hospitals nine vital machines could not be fixed which means difficulties for the general public in these districts. In this situation the policy to treat patients locally in their nearby hospitals could not be implemented properly and people have to go to Peshawar for treatment which means that these hospitals are over-burdened,” he said.

Nine such districts have been identified by the report including North Waziristan with 55 per cent operational status, South Waziristan 54 per cent, Dir Upper 64 per cent, Buner 67 per cent, Hangu 68 per cent, Kohistan Upper 55 per cent, Kohistan Lower 66 per cent and Kolai Palas 66 per cent.

“The Health Department has directed the District Health Officers (DHOs) of these districts to improve the situation and achieve the minimum operational status of 70 per cent as soon as possible,” said the official, adding that in the next meeting of the department reports would be sought from DHOs in this regard.

It is also interesting to note that the situation of hospitals machinery was found satisfactory in only four districts of the province. Charsadda district was on top of the list with 97 per cent preparedness of the machinery followed by Peshawar with 92 per cent, Chitral Lower with 94 per cent and Lakki Marwat with 91 per cent.

“On the one side the government is actively following a policy of improving district hospitals because not all people can afford coming to Peshawar for treatment and on the other the machinery provided to these hospitals in the far-flung districts could not be made fully functional for a variety of reasons,” another official claimed.

“If a broken machine could not be fixed due to lack of skilled workers or experts then the provision of an expensive piece of equipment to a hospital is of very little use,” he said, adding that the reasons behind the lower operational status could also be lack of skilled and qualified operators in the hospitals.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2021.