Chitral DHQ hospital faces shortage of doctors

CHITRAL, Jan 6: Shortage of doctors at the district headquarters hospital here has been hampering the treatment of patients, as the hospital is yet to get the desired staff despite being given the category ‘B’ status. Talking to media persons here, the DHQ hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Noorul Islam said the hospital had been upgraded to category B for which necessary infrastructure was developed and equipment procured, but due to shortage of medical officers and specialist doctors the patients were not being provided the desired treatment facilities. He said that the hospital should be provided the needed staff because transporting patients from Chitral to hospitals in Peshawar often put their lives in danger. He said that 30 posts of medical officers and 16 posts of district specialists were lying vacant in the DHQ hospital besides 20 posts of charge nurses and technicians. He said that the vacant positions, acute shortage of electricity, lack of funds for safe disposal of solid wastes and general repair of sewerage system were some of the immediate problems that needed urgent solutions. The DHQ hospital MS said that at least 114,306 patients were treated in the outpatient department of the hospital during 2012, while the number of indoor patients was recorded at 9,689. He said 13,879 patients were provided treatment in the hospital’s casualty department.  However, Dr Islam mentioned some developments in 2012 that included the activation of X-ray and ultrasound facilities, strengthening of casualty department, procurement of equipment at a cost of Rs42 million and arrangement of refresher training courses for both the doctors and paramedics. He said that the hospital had entered into an agreement with Al-Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, to arrange such courses and two such sessions were arranged during the outgoing year.–Dawn]]>