Seasonal diseases prompt calls for more health services

BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): With the arrival of winter, seasonal diseases have seen a significant uptick in central Bamyan province say, prompting calls for expanded health services.

Dr Faroghuddin Amini, director of Antani Hospital, confirmed to Pajhwok Afghan News a noticeable surge in seasonal infectious diseases.

On a day, dozens of patients, including children and women, who are suffering from respiratory diseases, Brucellosis, whooping cough, measles, typhoid fever, black jaundice, white jaundice refer to this hospital for treatment.

Amini said in the second quarter of this year, 120 to 150 people suffering from infectious diseases visited this hospital every day, while this number had currently jumped to 250-290 patients per day, indicating a double surge to the previous months.

Based on the available information, he said, most of the patients were women who had been admitted to this hospital, which has 30 beds and 60 staff.

Fatima, one of the patients, who has been in this hospital for two days, said she had been suffering from respiratory problems for about a month, and she was being recovered after two days.

She was happy with the treatment provided by the hospital, saying everything wasoffered free of cost.

But given the high number of patients, he opined, the hospital should be provided with more facilities.

Meanwhile, seasonal disease outbreaks are fuelling concerns among residents of the backward province.

Nader, an inhabitant of the Zargaran area of Bamyan City, said infectious diseases were on the rise with the arrival of winter. One of his kids was also infected with whooping cough.

Ali Jan, another resident, verified the spikein various infectious illnesses among many children and women this winter. He urged the authorities to deal with the situation with a sense of urgency.

Zahra, a patient, complained of inadequate healthcare services at the hospital. As a result, she claimed, many visitors felt dissatisfied.

She said due to the high number of patients,most of the time, the hospital personnel could not reach them properly.

Barring emergency cases, patients had to wait for hours and were not given adequateattention by the health workers on duty, she grumbled.

At the same time, she also complained about the lack of medicine at the hospital, forcingmost of patients purchase them from the market.

However, the director of Antani hospital assured patients of sufficient healthcare services. “We are not facing a shortage of personnel.

“But due to the spread of seasonal infects, we are faced with a shortage of few types of medicine, an issue that will be addressedsoon.”

On the other hand, health experts linked increased infectious diseases to the onset of the cold weather and people’s failure to comply with hygiene.

Ali Yar Ahmadi, an internal medicine specialist, warnred some of these diseases were contagious and could spread from one person to another.

He advised the people to wear warm clothesand maintain hygiene to control the spread of infectious ailments in winter and always wear masks to protect themselves.

sa/mud

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