Suspended power irks BHU patients

Patients as well as the hospital staff are facing immense difficulties in performing their duties in the sweltering summer season as the electric supply to the Basic Health Unit (BHU) Hattar has been suspended for about five months while the batteries of the solar system have also expired.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the locals said the power supply to the BHU Hattar has been suspended for months and despite the locals and the hospital administration repeatedly reaching out to District Health Officer Munawwar Afridi, WAPDA’s Executive Engineer and Sub-Divisional Officer and Khanpur Consumer Court, Haripur no relief appears to be in sight.

The locals informed this scribe that the labour room of the BHU has been closed for the last week due to a lack of electricity. They said the hospital’s ultrasound machine was not functional due to which pregnant women were having to visit other hospitals in the district.

When contacted, the WAPDA officials claimed that the electricity bill worth millions of rupees had not been paid by the BHU administration due to which the electricity was disconnected. “The electric supply will only be restored on payment of arrears by the BHU,” they said.

Meanwhile, a relevant official of the Health Department said the required funds to pay the arrears were not available. However, the solar system was functional.

Sources said the hospital administration had also approached the court and both the parties were advised to amicably resolve the matter. Also, a request was made to Khanpur’s former assistant commissioner about the issue some three months ago at which he had assured that the electricity would be restored within two days but it could not be restored even after passing five months.

The locals also tried to restore the electricity on a self-help basis through various means, but so far the electricity has not been restored.

They demanded that the deputy commissioner and the health minister should find a solution to the problem by sitting together so that the locals can avoid further humiliation and the hospital staff can also perform their duties with ease.

Health provision should be the top priority of the provincial and district governments. Despite repeated reminders to the relevant officers for resolving the issue, their nonchalant attitude towards the matter is a question mark on their performance. “If the issue is not resolved soon, we will have no other option but to come out in protest,” the locals warned.

According to the hospital administration, former provincial minister Arshad Ayub Khan had provided the necessary equipment to keep the labour room functional for 24-hour emergency service.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2023.