Pneumonia is the most fatal disease in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, according to a report published by the District Health Information System (DHIS).
In the second quarter of the year, 1,843 people were admitted at hospitals because of pneumonia, which claimed 54 lives.
The second most fatal disease in the province was said to be diarrhoea for which 13,972 patients were admitted. Forty-six of those patients died.
Out of the total number of deaths, Malaria claimed the lives of 15% or 23 patients. The number admitted for Malaria was 1,711.
Another 10 patients out of 155 lost their lives due meningitis. Hepatitis C claimed seven lives of 143 patients admitted. The report also stated that five patients died of typhoid, while two people died because of hepatitis B.
DHIS Provincial Programme Manager Dr Javed Pervaiz said that majority of deaths occurred due to curable diseases. He said the lack of facilities at hospitals and late diagnosis were the major causes behind the high mortality rates. “Proper surveillance, training of staff and provisions of facilities in hospitals can help control diseases before they become fatal,” Dr Pervaiz said.
However, the highest killer is not the most common disease in patients. Among the 10 most common diseases at government hospitals are acute respiratory infections, 33%, diarrhoea, 12%, typhoid, 10%, and urinary tract infections, 7%. The others in the list include hypertension, scabies, malaria, dental caries and peptic ulcers.
With these diseases remaining the most prevalent across the province, the improvement of facilities at government hospitals remains meagre, despite records indicating a growing number of patients.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ