Nara Amazai residents seek health facilities

Demand govt's intervention in RHC's state of affairs

HARIPUR:

The people of Nara Amazai, a far-flung union council of Haripur's Ghazi Tehsil, have been facing extreme deprivation of basic health facilities, especially basic health amenities even in these modern times.

Patients are being forced to keep roaming around for medical treatment, but the officials of the Haripur health department and district administration have been keeping completely silent.

Locals have demanded the provincial government's intervention in the poor state of affairs of the Rural Health Centre (RHC) Hospital Nara Amazai. They complain that the district officers have no interest in solving public issues but they sit in their offices and applaud each other.

The dignitaries of the Nara Amazai are of the view that the building of the RHC hospital has become a burden on the land as it is about to collapse.

There was never any doctor appointed at the hospital and due to the non-deployment of staff and shortage of medicines, the patients are forced to seek treatment in other districts. As the said hospital is dilapidated, citizens turn to Haripur and Swabi for treatment facilities.

Due to dilapidated roads, patients often die on the way to the hospital. Non-availability of drinking water, furniture, tests and roads to the hospital is a moment of concern for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. According to area notables, non-availability of facilities in the hospital is tantamount to oppressing the people.

The number of patients is increasing day by day due to the change of weather but the RHC hospital has failed to provide medicines, even Panadol tablet, and facilities to the patients, they add. Also, the hospital does not have the vaccine for snake, scorpion and dog bites.

The hospital building is built on a hilltop, a two-kilometre distance from the main link road. Access of patients to the hospital is difficult due to the non-availability of the road.

Similarly, a newly constructed higher secondary school building owned by the government is also closed and the pupils have been shifted to another school.

According to locals, the hospital can be shifted either to this empty building or the RHC building can be activated.

The people of Nara Amazai UC have strongly demanded Secretary Health Adeel Shah and Health director-general Dr Mohammad Saleem to take steps to appoint doctors in the hospital and provide other medical facilities so that patients can get treatment facilities.