Laghman’s Saw Dara residents without health services 

KABUL (Pajhwok): Residents of Saw Dara area in Alingar district of eastern Laghman province complain they have been struggling with problems due to the absence of health services in their area.

Malak Parwaz, a tribal elder of the Saw Dara area, told Pajhwok Afghan News their area encompassed ten villages inhabited by about 10,000 families.

He said the residents of these villages had long been deprived of all kind health services.

He added: “A mobile health team would provide services to people in our area for eight hours a day until its contract expired four months ago. Currently we have no access to heath health services. We want the government to set up a well-equipped health centre for us.”

Malak Khanjan, another resident of the area, said: “We take our patients to Laghman provincial hospital after a two and a half hours drive. Often some patients lose their lives on the way to hospital. We want the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to establish health centres for us.”

They say they have shared their problems with the provincial administration a number of times, but received no response.

On the other hand, Public Health Department officials acknowledge Saw Dara area lacks health facilities, but say efforts are underway to address the problem in cooperation with partner institutions.

Dr. Samiullah Abid, director of the department, said they had shared the problem with the provincial administration.

He added a mobile health team would provide services to the residents of the area last year, but its contract had ended now.

kk/ma

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