KHYBER
More than 200 patients including children suffering from leishmaniasis have been left without treatment as injections for the treatment has remained unavailable for the past month at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Landi Kotal,district Khyber, patients and their relatives said.
Family members of the affected patients said that those visiting the hospital for treatment were forced to return home disappointed due to the shortage of the essential injections.
They expressed concern that the continued absence of the medicine was worsening the misery of patients, many of whom could not afford treatment from private healthcare facilities.
The relatives appealed to senior officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department to immediately provide the required leishmaniasis injections to the DHQ Hospital so that patients could receive timely treatment and avoid further complications.
They also demanded to launch a spray campaign in the area to eliminate the sandflies to halt spread of the disease.
When an official of the Leishmaniasis center in DHQ, Landi Kotal was contacted he said that there was nationwide shortage of the injection and effort were being made to obtain it.
He urged the residents to adopt all preventive measures to combat the disease.
He further said that DHO and other health officials had been informed of the prevailing situation and soon the situation would be under controlled.
It is to be mentioned here that Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of infected female sandflies.
