Paktia residents want re-opening of IDH

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): Some residents in southeastern Paktia province have demanded the resumption of 50-bed Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) operation.

Local officials have acknowledged that IDH halt operation for the past two months.

Mohammad Rahim, a resident of Syed Karam district, told Pajhwok Afghan News recently the IDH halt operation.

He said: “We request that this hospital be re-activated which will decrease the load on Zonal Hospital, every patient should be properly checked, in the past there were good and specialist physicians here, infectious diseases and dangerous and viral, if this hospital resumed operation it would be a relief.”

Mohammadullah, a resident of Gardez, said the IDH has been closed due to unknown reasons.

He said with the arrival of the winter season the weather gets cold in Paktia province due to which infectious diseases spread quickly.

Local officials acknowledged the closure of the 50-bed IDH in Paktia.

Public Health Department Director Dr. Meraj Gul Adel told Pajhwok Afghan News the IDH was supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The contract with WHO was now over for this reason the hospital had been closed.

He said there were medicines and equipment in the hospital but due to the non-availability of personnel and budget for expenditures the facility had been shut.

He said: “The need for an infectious disease hospital is great because more than 50 percent of the diseases are infectious everywhere, it has been almost two months that the activity has been stopped, the reason is that the donor was WHO, so the activity has been stopped in all zones, we have spoken to the ministry and institutions for reactivation.”

According to information, the Gardez IDH was opened two years ago with the support of WHO but for the past two months the hospital has been closed.

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