‘41 Zabul health centers made functional this year’

QALAT CITY (Pajhwok): The Public Health Department of the southern Zabul province has made 41 health centers functional in the provincial capital and the districts to provide the residents health services, an official said on Tuesday.

Abdul Hakim Hakimi, the head of public health department told Pajhwok Afghan News, majority of the residents were deprived from health services especially in remote areas, but health department succeeded to provide such services to the most remote areas.

Hakimi added, we succeeded to open and mobile and area based health centers to provide services for the residents.

14 of the health centers are stable while 27 are mobile and hundreds of the patients visit these centers for health services and at meantime, hundreds of health workers have had job opportunities as well, Hakimi said.

Currently 100 health centers operate in Zabul and over 100,000 patients visit the centers for health services and the public health department Zabul province strived to extend its services to the most remote and deprived areas as well.

The residents admired the positive changes in the health sector.

Khan Mohammad, a resident from Arghandab district told Pajhwok Afghan News that, health services are better than it was in the past, there are laboratory and tests facilities and the patients get free medicine as well.

“During the war times, most of the health centers were semi-functional, while sometimes the doctors were absent and the shortage of medicine was usual problem” Hakimi said.

He asked the government to send more professional doctors, so the residents will not be obliged to seek health services in other areas.

Abdul Wali, another resident of Shamalzo district said that health centers are equipped well and provide primary health services well too.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News: “Our district is situated in a remote area, the roads get closed by snowfall in the winter which makes it difficult for the people to travel, but the residents are happy because all the health centers are equipped with medicines and other facilities”.

He urges the government to establish a well-equipped hospital in Zabul province that can provide all types health services.

Aw/nh