Bamyan residents decry poor health services in districts

BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): Residents of Panjab and Waras districts in central Bamyan province complain about lack of quality health services and medicines in their clinics.

Nader, a resident of Sarhjovi village in Waras district, said the lack of advanced equipment and medicines in the district clinic had created serious problems for local residents.

Mohammad Mohammadi, another resident of Waras district, also said that lack of medicines in health centers was one of the most serious problems the residents of the district faced.

Worried about persistent droughts and natural disasters in the district, he said that people were unable to transfer their patients to the provincial hospital or private health facilities due to poverty and unemployment.

He said: “In this area, there is no other health center so most patients are brought to this clinic which unfortunately lacks services.”

He asked the government and relevant institutions to pay more attention to improving the condition of health centers and to provide medicines to these clinics in order to address people's problems.

Ali Shafaq, a tribal elder from Panjab district, also expressed his concern about the low quality health services and lack of medicines in the district health center.

According to him, a large number of patients, especially children and pregnant women, had died due to lack of medicines and lack of access to health centers.

He also complained about lack of specialist and professional doctors in the health center, claiming that most of the nurses employed in the district clinic did not have enough medical knowledge and experience.

He said diseases could not be diagnosed and treated due to lack of required equipment.

The elder said the district population had increased while the solo health facility remained the same as it was 10 years ago.

However, Dr. Jafar Zaki, Bamyan public health director, said health services were provided to people without interruption province-wide and regular monitoring and evaluation to improve health services in district clinics was ongoing.

According to the procedure, he said, there was one district hospial (DH) in three districts, including Panjab and Waras districts and each hospital has 28 personnel, including surgeons, general physicians, pediatricians, lady doctors, ambulances and other health workers.

He added: “The health centers in some  districts may face a shortage of medicines in winter season due to the impossibility of supply and mountainous geography.”

sa/ma