Taloqan residents want health centre upgraded

TALOQAN (Pajhwok): Inhabitants of Turma Bai area and other remote villages of Taloqan complain of inadequate health services and want the government to address their problems.

Turma Bai area is 12 kilometer from the provincial capital, has only one health centre which cannot cope with needs of 32 neighbouring villages. where nearly 20,000 families live.

Some residents told Pajhwok Afghan News they spent a full day taking patients to the health centre. After hours of wait, they return home without getting medicine for their patients.

Gulshan said: “My child is sick, I walked an hour and a half from Parchab village to this health centre. Whenever I come here, I find no health services or care for patients.

“With no money to get health services at private hospitals, I ask the government to address our problems,” the man remarked.

Shaida Gul, another attendant, said: “My husband has passed away, I’m living a tough life, with my child suffering from malnutrition.

“I have visited this health centre many times. There are neither medics nor other facilities. Each time, I return home frustrated,” she deplored.

Qari Qudratullah, head of the Turma Bai local council, confirmed the lack of services at the clinic. He stressed the centre must be equipped to serve all the 20,000 families.

Facilities at the health centre are in-sufficient and Turma Bai area alone had 7,000 families. Most of the residents are poor and cannot afford to take their patients to Taloqan.

Dozens of patients were brought to the centre on a daily basis, but they returned without receiving medical care, he lamented.

The local council leader said the health centre had received 90 different syrups and 200 strips of tablets over the past three months, supplies that could not meet the needs of all people.

People of these areas are deprived of everything, they need — specialist doctors and diagnostic facilities. Nurses and medicine available at the clinic do not satisfy the needs of residents.

Haji Khuda Bakhsh, a resident of this area, said: “There are no medical facilities at this health centre, it is my fifth visit along with an ailing grandchild. Once again, I am returning empty-handed.”

Abdul Jamil, in charge of Turma Bai Health Centre, acknowledged the problems and said they received around 90 to 100 patients daily from the surrounding villages.

Jamil revealed most children of the were suffering from diarrhea and malnutrition due to lack of potable water. More facilities were needed to address the issues, he added.

In addition to medicine shortages, the centre had few medics who could not address the problems of patients, he admitted.

Dr. Atiqullah Qanit, deputy director of public health, said there were 84 small health centres in Takhar, built according to the needs of residents 18 years ago. But the population of these areas has now grown considerably and people have to face problems.

He said although efforts were being made to resolve the problems and upgrade the small health centres, the dearth of funds remained a key impediment.

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