FATA health care in sorry state

ISLAMABAD:

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) is becoming ‘production house’ for poliovirus in Pakistan due to lack of necessary health care facilities, proper immunisation programmes and inaccessibility of some of the areas.

According to the latest Unicef-funded study of Children’s Complaint Office, Islamabad on “The State of Children in Pakistan” the spread of disease, including through contaminated drinking water and other preventable causes, and the dearth of adequately equipped hospitals, trained doctors and other medical staff adversely impact life expectancy. The mortality rates from treatable illness, particularly for women and children, are particularly high in Fata. Human development indicators for Fata are poor.”



The number of polio cases in the northwestern region of the country has increased from 63 in 2013 to 179 in 2014. Majority of cases are reported from North Waziristan 70 cases, Khyber Agency 76 cases followed by South Waziristan 24 cases, and Frontier Region Bannu 9 cases.

According to a government official, many areas of the region remained inaccessible to polio teams due to security and other issues, and a large number of children could not be immunised.

Security of polio workers because of propaganda against polio drops by clerics, ongoing conflict, and regular migration are some of the reasons for the low immunisation rates in the region.

However, efforts are being made to involve influential people and jirga to mobilise people so that polio drops could be administered. Availability of public hospitals and doctors is limited for the population. For the group of 4,200 people, there is one health facility and only one doctor for 7,800 persons, while only one dentist is available for 14,800, people.

A large number of positions are vacant for doctors in Fata. Some 32% posts of doctors and 60% of specialist doctors were vacant at the time this study was compiled.

A total of Rs370 million was made available for 2014-15 health programmes and services. At least 9% was allocated from development grant and 13% was sanctioned from non-development grant.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2015.