Miramor residents decry inadequate health services

NEILI (Pajhwok): A number of residents of the Miramor district of central Daikundi province complain about the lack of health facilities and services.

In habitants of Ashto Giro area, where more than 400 families live, have no easy access to the local health centre — at a distance of more than two hours.

Hussain Rahimi, an influential figure of the area, told Pajhwok Afghan News one of the most serious problems of the people was inadequate health services.

According to him, the health centres are distant and emergency patients die on the way to hospital.

“Nearly 400 families live in Ashto and our basic problem is the absence of a clinic that can treat at least normal and minor illnesses,” he remarked.

He grumbled residents of Rak, Asro, Waimah and Shena localities had long been faced with inadequate access to health services.

According to him, there is one health centre only in Nike locality, but it is difficult for the people to cover the long distance.

Most of patients were taken to the Iskan Hospital, which was three hours away, Rahimi added:

“The government should pay attention to the issue as we don’t have access to a health centre with equipment and professional doctors. People also suffer financially and cannot rent a car to reach there.”

Mohammad Yar Samim, a resident of the area, said the families living in Giro had been deprived of the required health services.

“In this area, there is a clinic that has neither medicine nor specialist doctors. But the government refuses to pay any attention to our problem.”

Samim complained there were no doctors in the area to treat people, who were forced to travel to a far-off clinic.

He said the road to the Nika health centre remained closed for three months during the winter and it is difficult even for dwellers of the same area to reach the facility.

Samim explained because of the distance, proper pre- and post-natal care was not provided for women and babies.

Most of women in the area give birth in their homes and were deprived of due medical care, with little focus on babies’ well-being.

He urged the government to pay attention to addressing the plight of residents of remote villages.

Meanwhile, public health officials acknowledged there were problems in some areas, including Ashtavi Miramur, due to their locations.

But Naveed Zaki, spokesman for the Public Health Department, said they try to solve their problems through mobile clinics in areas where health centres did not exist.

He promised a team would travel to those areas and closely assess the problems of the people.

sa/mud