Dispensary not made functional even after 10 years

Gul Hamaad Farooqi

CHITRAL: A civil dispensary established in Arkroi village in Langorbat could not be made functional even after 10 years, locals told ChitralToday correspondent during a visit to the area.

Thousands of residents of the village located on Arandu road are deprived of basic healthcare, education, communication and other facilities. In this area, former provincial minister Saleem Khan Chitrali had provided funds for the establishment of the dispensary and a building was constructed, but it is still locked. Qari Mohammad Daim, the chairman of village council Arkroi Langorbat, told our correspondent that the civil dispensary was established in 2011 but unfortunately it is still closed.

He said the locals had been requesting the district health officer Lower Chitral and the district administration to make the dispensary functional. In response they were saying that the owner of the land on which the dispensary had been set up was asking for for his employment as promised and the matter was to be resolved yet.

Mr Daimsaid if the owner of the land does not object, we are ready to give him alternative land or pay him compensation for his land, so that the health-related issues of the locals could be resolved.

He said men could afford going to Drosh or Chitral town sitting in wood-carrying Datsuns but women were facing great difficulties in terms of medical treatment. Women have to be taken to Drosh or Chitral for delivery cases, but the condition of the road is so bad that they either give birth or die on the way before reaching the hospital. It takes four to five hours while transporting women patients to hospital.

Shan Bibi,  the only unopposed elected woman councillor of Arandu Village Council, said: “I represent women from Mirkhani to the farthest part of Pakistan, i.e. Arandu, but our women are facing many difficulties in terms of medical treatment and education.” 

She said that there was no female doctor in the entire union council and the lady health visitor of the Rural Health Center Arandu was also sitting at her home without any duty. 

Local people of Arkroi said they were facing lots of difficulties in terms of medical treatment.

They demanded that the district administration, the provincial health secretary and health minister should make the dispensary functional by compensating the landowner. 

The health department should immediately settle its dispute with the landowner so that the local people can be facilitated by opening the medical center, they added.