SWABI, June 13: People here have asked the MPAs and MNAs elected from the district to visit the district headquarters hospital and see for themselves the lack of facilities there.

A chat with the patients, doctors and paramedical staff revealed that since 2008 elections the Awami National Party parliamentarians paid only two visits to the hospital and they failed to take any steps for the provision of health facilities.

The 74-bed hospital is supposed to cater to the health care needs of 1.1 million people of the district.

“The ANP leaders, including two ministers from the district, would usually pass from the area, but they never bothered to visit the so-called health facility and see the plight of patients,” said Rahimdad of Maneri Bala.

The people have now pinned high hopes on Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmakers who had made health and education as their top priorities. “There is a need for practical work and we expect this from the PTI leaders,” said Dr Abid.

Presently, 26 posts of doctors and paramedics have been lying vacant in the DHQ hospital. Senior doctors like radiologist, medical specialist and anesthesia specialist have not been available for the last several years.

“The hospital catering to the entire district has only a 12-bed children ward and the doctors are forced to place two to three ailing children on one bed, which expose them to contracting more diseases,” said Nural Amin of Maneri Bala. The blood-stained mattresses and unhygienic condition in the ward are enough to open one’s eyes to the overall negligence.

The parliamentarians and affluent people usually do not visit the hospital and go to Peshawar or Rawalpindi for their treatment in private hospitals.

The cardiology ward of the hospital is locked and not receiving any patients. There is one operation theater which is shared by different specialists turn by turn. “Even serious patients are made to wait for their turn and this often results in shifting of patients to private hospitals for urgent treatment,” said a paramedic.

The doctors and people have demanded of the government to establish another operation theater and provide missing facilities in the hospital so as to cater to the growing number of patients.