KHYBER
In spite of the fact that the District Headquarter (DHQ) hospital, Landi Kotal has been upgraded to category (A) nevertheless patients are still referred to Peshawar hospitals for treatment.
Local said that the hospital had been established and developed aimed to facilitate patients of Khyber and across the border locally but ironically minor cases were yet referred to Peshawar health centers that put a question mark at the efficiency of the hospital.
Aman Ali Shinwari, a resident of Shiekhmal Khel said that last week his paternal aunt had slapped and she got minor back, leg and lung injuries.
When she was taken to DHQ hospital for necessary treatment, the on -duty doctors in casualty only administered pain killer injections and asked the relatives of the patient to shift her to Peshawar hospital for curing.
If non-serious cases were also referred to Peshawar for healing than what was the use of category (A) status, granted to DHQ hospital he added and said hundreds of specialists’ doctors, nursing staff and other health staff had appointed to facilitate the ailing segments of the tribal society but to in avail.
Claims of the Medical Superintendent (MS) of the hospital to enhance efficiency of the health center were proved just a hollow slogan, he opined.
According to the DHQ, hospital causality record, a total of 79258 patients with various health complications visited the emergency of the health center since July 2022 till June 2023.
Media coordinator Rescue 1122, Khyber Maqsood Alam while sharing details said that total referral cases recorded from DHQ hospital, Landi Kotal to Peshawar were 1758 in the year 2022.
He maintained that the department so far in 2023 had shifted 984 patients to the downtown health centers for treatment.
On the condition of anonymity, the on duty doctor in the casualty said that neither the hospital administration, local doctors nor clerical staff were interested in improving its competence.
He maintained that the referral cases to Peshawar hospitals were examined by the under training (house job) doctors on the arrival while in DHQ,Landi Kotal the patients were treated by trained and specialist doctors however deficiency of some needed facilities like CT scan, culture and serum electrolytes tests,uninterrupted supply of electricity, nonfunctional wards etc. suffered efficiency of the hospital.
When MS DHQ, hospital Landi Kotal Dr Jamshed Sherani was asked for his version on the matter he said that since his joining period referral cases had decreased and a visible change had been noted in the efficiency of the health center.
Head inquires, a person with heart problems and other various serious patients including gyny complicated cases are referred to downtown health center for most caring treatment, he added.
Due to lack of facilities like CT scan, surgical and medical Intensive Care Unit (ICUs), centralized oxygen plant to facilitate the severe condition of patients.
