Khairuddin Shadani
GARAM CHASHMA: Six doctors, including a gynaecologist, have been posted to the Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital in Garam Chashma.
The hospital was facing an acute shortage of medical staff and the appointments have been welcomed by the local people.
The residents expressed optimism that women, particularly mothers and other female patients, will now have better access to medical care closer to home, reducing the need to travel to Chitral city for treatment.
Efforts to address the shortage of doctors at the hospital had been underway for some time. According to Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Zia, the district administration had taken up the issue with Aga Khan Health Service (AKHS) and subsequently pursued it with the relevant higher authorities.
He said efforts to resolve the issue had continued through regular communication and follow-up with the concerned institutions.
Community members have also thanked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department, the District Health Officer (DHO) for their contributions towards addressing the staffing shortage.
Residents have expressed hope that the provincial leadership and relevant institutions will now turn their attention to upgrading the hospital and meeting its other pressing needs, including the provision of medicines, diagnostic equipment and essential medical facilities.
They stressed that the regular presence of the newly posted doctors, alongside adequate medicines and equipment, would be crucial to ensuring that the decision delivers lasting benefits to patients in Lotkoh, particularly women who have long faced difficulties accessing healthcare in the area.
It may be recalled that in the year 2012 the KP government’s health department handed over the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital of Garam Chashma to the Aga Khan Health Services Pakistan (AKHSP) to strengthen the health delivery network.
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