ISLAMABAD: With the federal capital’s population growing three times during last 15 years, health facilities are falling short to fulfil the medical needs of the ailing people, especially the poor, as rising population influx continues to aggravate the challenge.

Seeing the present infrastructure of health facilities within Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), the few facilities built years ago are quite insufficient for over two million people with the population density per kilometre rising every passing day.

Besides providing medical facilities to the residents, the few hospitals also cater to the needs of patients arriving from Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and adjacent rural areas falling within the Punjab province jurisdiction.

According to the 2017 census, the population of the capital territory was 2,006,572 residing in an area of 906 square kilometres.

The population density of the area is around 2,214 per square kilometre with the ICT having the highest average growth rate of 4.91pc compared to other parts of the country.

The population in rural areas was recorded to be 991,747 with an inter-censual rate of 6.95 while the population in the urban areas was 1,014,825 with a growth rate of 3.48.

It is expected that soon the population in rural areas will exceed the urban areas with poor quality healthcare services while the high growth rate in Islamabad is mainly as a result of in-migration.

Provision of health services, especially in rural areas, were not scaled during the last two decades, resulting in growth of quackery, unnecessary burden of providing primary healthcare by tertiary hospitals and dissatisfaction of citizens on quality of services, complained a medical practitioner, Dr Mazhar Naeem.

Islamabad has emerged as the tenth largest district of Pakistan population-wise with the highest growth rate in the country, mainly as a result of in-migration, almost one million living in rural areas, he said.

The existing hospitals also need immediate restoration with extended facilities and state-of-the-art health services not only for locals but also referral specialised services for people patients pouring in from far-flung areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, KP, Azad Kashmir and parts of Punjab.

“We have seen rampant growth of quacks busy in illegal medical practice owing to insufficient healthcare facilities in the capital. They are taking advantage of the limited number of public sector hospitals and increasing number of patients,” remarked a citizen, Saleem Khalid.

Demanding action against illegal practitioners, he said, the capital’s public sector healthcare system should set some good examples for other cities in terms of providing better health facilities.

There is a dire need of extended healthcare to facilitate poor patients as the affluent can easily afford treatment at private hospitals.

Official statistics show 19 health facilities currently functional in the rural areas, including three RHCs, 15 BHUs and one dispensary, under the control of ICT health department.

There are three major hospitals - Pims, Polyclinic and CDA Hospital - under the health department and Capital Development Authority besides 64 dispensaries and health centres. Moreover, setting up the Islamabad General Hospital under the health department with the financial assistance of the Saudi government has been approved.

A plan has been devised to establish 13 more primary health centres within the ICT jurisdiction to cater to healthcare needs of growing population and ease pressure on tertiary hospitals, said an official at Islamabad District Health Office.

“We have also sent a summary to the health ministry seeking appointment of 358 medical officers for these health facilities to be set up mostly in far-flung and rural areas of the ICT,” he stated.

The national health services ministry spokesperson, Sajid Shah, said sufficient allocation had been made under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to ensure better health facilities for the residents.

The government has allocated Rs250 million for establishment of a cancer hospital in Islamabad and Rs100 million for the community health centre (CHC) at Bokra. An amount of Rs170.318 million has also been allocated for strengthening mother and child health services in Bhara Kahu, he said.

He also mentioned an allocation of Rs250 million for extension of the intensive care department of Mother and Child Health Centre and Children Hospital and Rs495 million for upgradation of the neurosurgery department and provision of essential equipment in Pims.

He said the government had also allocated Rs73.675 million for installation of machinery and other equipment at the newly-established OPD block of Federal General Hospital besides Rs96.64 million for strengthening and upgradation of diabetes and endocrinology department at Polyclinic.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2022