SWABI, Jan 17: Twenty-six posts of doctors and paramedics have been lying vacant at the district headquarters hospital (DHQ) for the last many years, affecting patients’ care at the health facility negatively, sources say.

According to a list available with this correspondent, two posts of senior medical officers, one post each of eye specialist, physician, radiologist, anesthesia specialist and pathologist are vacant at the hospital.

Besides, six posts of charge nurse, four of CT pharmacy and five of JCT pharmacy have also been lying vacant. Some of the posts fell vacant before formation of the incumbent government in the province, sources said.

“The post of radiologist has been lying vacant at the DHQ for the last 10 years and post of pathologist has been vacant for the last nine years. Similarly, the post of medical specialist has been lying vacant for the last three years and the post of anesthesia specialist has been vacant for the last seven years,” Dr Israr told this scribe.

He said that they needed badly both medical and anesthesia specialists because in their absence they faced numerous problems to run the affairs of the hospital smoothly. “Operating on a patient at the hospital has become a Herculean task. We have informed the authorities and we also reminded them on a number of occasions,” he said.

Another senior doctor at the hospital said on condition of anonymity that they had brought the matter into the notice of Provincial Minister for Usher and Zakat Zarshaid Khan and Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development Sitara Ayaz but to no avail.

“They (ministers) meddle in the hospital affairs when there is no need but they don’t play their due role when there is an urgent need,” he said.

Sources said that both the ministers paid only two visits each to the hospital during the last about five years. “Soon after assuming power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa they started paying surprise visits but it seems that now their priorities have been changed,” said a young doctor.

The patients present at the hospital alleged that doctors didn’t come to OPD on time. They said that the hospital administration should issue a standing order about observance of duty hours by doctors and other staffers.

The in-charge of the medicines store, when asked about the stock and issue register, said that there was no register in the hospital. However, he said that the register was lying in his house.

The patients and their attendants also complained about cleanliness situation at the hospital. They said that dumps of heap were lying everywhere at the hospital. They pointed towards the thick layer of dust on the beds in different wards.

The hospital administration, when asked, said that there were 10 sweepers at the health facility but despite that the poor condition of cleanliness was a big question for it.

The cardiac ward was found locked but nobody at the hospital knew as to why it was closed. The paramedics said that they were performing duty at cardiac ward in the past but it was closed few months ago.

During a visit to the 12-bed children ward, it was observed that two, three children were accommodated in a single bed. The parents of the ailing children were calling the children ward as ‘death ward.’

The hospital authorities said they did not have resources to increase the number of beds or build another ward for the increasing number of ailing children.

There was great rush in gyne ward as the entire ward was full of patients. The doctors and paramedics were busy in providing healthcare but patients alleged that none of the doctors was available in the ward after noon.

However, the in-charge of the ward said that the doctors remained “on call” whenever emergency arose. “They could be called even at midnight,” she said.

The vigilance committee members, who monitor health services in the district, told this correspondent that during their recent visit to the hospital they called for improving services and filling of vacant posts at the health facility. They said that both the authorities and hospital staff were responsible for shortage of facilities at the hospital.