Taliban close Samangan clinics over unpaid staff salaries

AIBAK (Pajhwok): Taliban militants have closed 35 health centres in northern Samangan province over non-payment of salaries to their staff and lack of equipment and medicines.

The Public Health Department acknowledged the closure of 35 out of 47 health centres in Samangan and said the Taliban stopped them from functioning from November 13th.

A private firm responsible for provision of equipment to these health centres said that medicines and fire woods had been dispatched to these clinics and the staff salaries of the past five months would be issued soon.

Abdul YaqinAhmadi, the administrative chief of Dara-e-Suf Paen district, said the Taliban had closed the doors of these health centres over non-payment of health personnel salaries and non-provision of medicines and other equipment.

He said residents of these areas faced immense problems since closure of the clinics.

Ahmadi said people shifted their patients to clinics in Aibak, the provincial capital, and other cities.

Dr. Abdul KabirAnwari, head of the AHED Organisation, acknowledged the closure of health facilities by the Taliban and said: “The Taliban closed these health centres under the pretext of non-payment of salaries and lack of equipment.”

About salary payment, he said the Ministry of Public Health did not provide it the contract money and the organistion paid some salaries from its own pocket.

Public Health Department Director Abdul Khalil Musadiq said payment to the AHED organization would be made after another organization conducted an inspection of their work.

Nh/ma

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