Baghlan hospital lacks enough beds since years: Residents

PUL-I-KHUMRI (Pajhwok): Residents of northern Baghlan province say the provincial hospital has been lacking beds for years and the government should complete construction of the hospital’s new building.

Construction work was launched on the hospital’s new building during the past government and was 60 percent completed, but the construction came to a halt following the regime change last year.

Hazrat Gul, a resident of the Hussainkhel area, told Pajhwok Afghan News that his wife was aplastic anemia patient.

“I took her to the provincial hospital and found the blood, but there was no empty bed so she waited for two days for the blood transfusion,” he said.

Hazrat Gul said the government should complete the new building for the hospital.

Mirwais Rasouli, a resident of Pul-i-Khumri, told Pajhwok that completion of the hospital’s new building would resolve the problem of lack of beds.

Farhad Ahmadzai, head of the Hussainkhel council, told Pajhwok the provincial hospital could not cater to the needs of the people of the province.

“I have many times seen people taking their patients to Balkh and Kunduz provinces due to the lack of beds in the provincial hospital,” he added.

According to Ahmadzai, patients being taken to Kunduz and Balkh did not reach hospital and lose their lives on the way.

He said due to efforts of tribal leaders, he got an order from former president Hamid Karzai to build a hospital in this province. However, due to some biased officials of the former government and some tribal leaders, the work did not start on time.

Some other residents of Baghlan also made similar statements and requested the government to complete the new hospital.

Dr. Musafir Khan Noorzai, an orthopedic specialist in the Baghlan hospital, also emphasized on early completion the new hospital and said the problems of the residents of some other provinces would be solved in addition to Baghlan.

“People here are poor and they are forced to transfer their patients to other provinces, which is a very difficult task, if the new hospital is built, this problem will be solved,” he added.

Dr. Mohammad Anwar Wardak, head of the surgery department, said the hospital had 100 beds — 25 beds at the maternity ward, 20 at internal diseases, 35 beds at the children and 30 beds at the surgery department.

Dr. Massoud Ahmadi, director of Public Health Department, acknowledged the provincial hospital lacked enough beds. He said a hospital should always have 20 empty beds to be used in emergency situation.

He added he had shared this problem and the issue of the new building with relevant officials and they had promised cooperation.

He said the Ministry of Public Health and the World Health Organization had promised to give priority to the Baghlan hospital.

He added 60 percent of the new hospital had been completed and it would have 250 beds.

sa/ma