CHARSADDA: A large number of patients from across the district face severe hardships due to shortage of medical staff, medicines and no availability of ambulances at District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Charsadda.

Hospital sources told Dawn that hundreds of patients attend outpatient department (OPD, but due to lack of facilities and proper treatment at the hospital, they had to return to their homes without medical treatment or to other hospitals in Peshawar.

Residents said there was only one ambulance of Rescue 1122 to bring patients to hospital in case of emergency. They termed it an injustice that only one ambulance was placed to serve 1.8million people of the district.

They said that despite the approval of PC-I for establishing Trauma Centre, the construction work was yet to be started.

The people also came hard on the elected representatives for their lack of interest in improving the condition of the DHQ hospital, demanding the five PTI lawmakers from the district to play their role and respect the mandate of the people who had voted them.

Talking to media persons hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr Jehangir Shah admitted that even CT scan and MRI machines were not available in the hospital. Rather, he said, the patients were referred to Peshawar for medical treatment.

Referring to reported Rs7.5 million misappropriation in the hospital’s funds, he said that an inquiry had been ordered into embezzlement. He said that anti-corruption department would also be approached in this regard.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2024