Doctor, staff shortages add to healthcare woes

Patients have to travel long distances, often in public transport, for routine treatments

RAWALPINDI:

An insufficient number of doctors and support staff shortages in rural healthcare centres, primary healthcare centres and tehsil headquarter hospitals (THQ) in six tehsils of Rawalpindi district have made adequate treatments a painstaking ordeal for its residents.

Over a 100 public healthcare facilities in Murree, Taxila, Gujar Khan, Kahuta, Kotli Sattian, and Kallar Syedan are facing a shortage of doctors, paramedics, and are completely devoid of laboratory facilities. Resultantly, the populace of the six tehsils is forced to travel long distances and bear huge expenses to seek treatment at either Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, and District Headquarters Hospital in Rawalpindi.

Muhammad Altaf, an attendant who had come to Benazir Bhutto General Hospital for an appendix operation of his relative, commenting on the matter said that he had brought his patient from Chakwal, “where there are no facilities for surgery at all.”

Similarly, Shabbir Ahmad, a caregiver from the Kallar Syedan area who came to the Holy Family Hospital with his patient who was due to give birth, said that even routine procedures required travelling to Rawalpindi.

“We approached the THQ but the staff said they could not accommodate our case and instead referred us to this hospital,” a visibly irate Ahmad informed. Just like Ahmad, Shaukat and his wife were referred from Kahuta to the District Headquarters Hospital.

“We had to spend money on public transport just to come and get my wife’s fever checked,” said Shaukat, adding that they would have to wait in the long queue for the OPD just for a routine checkup. As per data obtained by The Express Tribune, 83 posts of doctors, including lady doctors, and more than 100 posts of support staff are lying vacant in health facilities situated in the six tehsils.

Furthermore, as per sources privy to the matter, the influx of patients from the six tehsils, also overburdens the three major public hospitals of Rawalpindi, as their OPDs have to cater to roughly 1,800 to 2,000 patients daily. Vice-Chancellor Rawalpindi Medical University, Professor Dr Muhammad Umar, says that this overburdening of the wards and operation theatres of the city’s hospitals deprives many of adequate healthcare.

“The government needs to provide better medical facilities in all tehsils of the district.” Chief Executive of District Health Authority, Rawalpindi, Dr Anser Ishaq, when asked about the vacant posts and missing facilities, concurred with the data obtained.

“There is a shortage of 83 doctors in 114 medical centres of the six tehsils. Furthermore, many primary healthcare centres do not currently have laboratories and X-ray facilities for which patients are referred to THQs.” When asked what the government planned on doing to address the shortcomings, Dr Ishaq stated, “We are currently recruiting new doctors."

"Moreover, X-ray machines have been installed in Rural Health Centres at Daultala, Phagwadi, Murree, and Bagga Sheikhan areas. An X-ray machine will also be installed in Wah General Hospital and the THQ in Taxila is being upgraded,” Dr Ishaq informed The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2022.