Fever pitch: Over a dozen new dengue cases reported in Shangla

Locals complain of not being provided adequate health facilities.

SHANGLA: So far, 135 dengue cases have been reported in Shangla district which is adjacent to Swat, where the virus first spread.

On Thursday, 17 more dengue cases surfaced in Besham tehsil of Shangla, said Dr Gul Nazar, head of the dengue ward at District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Besham. He said the government has provided 100 NS-1 kits and 100 mosquito nets for the patients in DHQ Hospital. “The disease can only be eradicated through public awareness, not treatment,” he added.



However, residents of the area are not satisfied with health facilities provided by the government. Haji Rahim Shah, chief of the Grand Jirga in Besham, pointed out the nets and kits provided were lesser than the number of patients admitted at DHQ Hospital.

“On a daily basis, hundreds of people from Kohistan, Torghar and Battagram districts along with people from remote areas of Shangla are rushing towards the DHQ Hospital in Besham for treatment and diagnostic tests,” he said.

Shah added hundreds of patients are now going to private laboratories which charge Rs1,000 to test a patient. He said these labs were previously sealed by drug inspectors for using substandard equipment, but the owners simply reopened them and continued with their businesses. “Nobody has taken any action against them,” claimed Shah.

Gohar Ali, a drug inspector in Besham, said he along with other members of the health department raided these laboratories in Besham. Six of them were sealed for using substandard equipment and unskilled staff.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2013.