Logar residents complain against inadequate health services

PUL-I-ALAM (Pajhwok): Most residents of Central Logar province have said they travel to capital Kabul services in the province.

On the other hand, health officials say on the bases of wrong census statistics provided by the Central Statistics Organisation (CSO) the local health department was not given with complete medicines therefore patients traveled to other places for treatment.

Syed Asher Agha, the resident of Pangram locality of Charkh district, told Pajhwok Afghan News health services in their area were poor and people had been facing immense problems.

“There is no hospital in Charkh district only two clinics have been there which provided initial health services people shift their ill relatives to provincial Civil Hospital or capital Kabul for treatment,” he said.

He asked the government to address health issues of Logaris.

Tribal elder Mohammad Nasir from Kharwar district said only two clinics were functional in their area which could not address health problems of residents.

“There is no qualified doctor or medicine available in these clinics therefore we transfer our patients to Kabul or Gardez, the capital of neighbouring Paktia province.

He said the residents of Kharwar shift their ill relatives in difficult condition and on crumbling routes other places for treatment.

“In winter it is very difficult when we transfer our ill relatives to other places. Women and children often die on the way,” he said.

He said it would be unjust if, health issues of Logar could not get resolved immediately.

Baz Mohammad, the resident of Baraki Barak district, complained against the improper health services in the district.

He said besides the none-existence of doctors and medicines there were no ambulances in the district health centre.

“We shift our patients to Kabul and take medicines from Bazaar which means there are no health services in the district,” he said.

Haji Ibrahim, the resident of Akbarkarkhelo area in Azra district, said the resident of this district had to travel tens kilometres to shift their patients to Nangarhar province for treatment.

The main road connecting Azra with Pul-i-Alam had been blocked due to insecurity from the past 14-year.

Haji Ibrahim said most residents of the district were poor and unable to transfer their patients to Nangarhar.

“Most people have no money for the treatment of their family members, some get well with the mercy Allah and some dies,” he said.

Ashoqullah, the resident of Pul-i-Alam, said he travel to Kabul for Hepatitis-C treatment once in two or three months.

“There should be facility in Logar for Hepatitis-C treatment because it was not a unique illness, I have to spent money and time while traveling to Kabul for treatment,” he said.

Ahmad Shakir, the resident of Kharwar, is someone who want to go to Kabul for his leg treatment.

“My leg injured in traffic accident, there is no one in Kharwar to examine it and properly cure it I went to Pu-i-Alam for treatment but there is no doctor as well so I have to go to Kabul for treatment,” he said.

He said he is not economically sound if his leg not treated in Kabul he plan to go to Peshawar for treatment.

Local officials acknowledge healthcare services are weak in the province. Charkh district chief, Mohammad Hanif Hanafi, told Pajhwok that people had spoken the truth about improper health services in the province.

“I have witnessed people carrying their patients to Kabul and other areas and they do so because their patients cannot be treated here.”

According to him, only two small clinics are operational in Charkh district which provide first aid alone.

Meanwhile, Azra district administrative chief, Hamidullah Hamid, said inhabitants of the district contended with serious health issues. “It is beyond my power to resolve their problems. Central government should do something…Every resident is obliged to take their patient to Nangarhar province by spending 6,000afs in taxi fare.”

Members of the Provincial Council also took similar views. PC member Abdul Wali Wakeel admitted people were faced with numerous of complications in terms of healthcare and the government paid no heed in this regard.

“Logar people are deprived from the primary and basic health services and people have always complained to provincial council in this regard. Our 80 percent of sick people are not cured at state-run hospitals but are rather transferred to Kabul or other provinces.”

Meanwhile, another public representative, Haseebullah Stanikzai, termed the health services offered in the province as ‘very poor’, saying the government didn’t take any step for resolving the issue.

“Many Logaris travel to Kabul or Pakistan for treatment as there are no equipped hospitals and skilled doctors. However, many other families couldn’t afford to travel that much far and are forced to borrow money.”

In response to all these remarks, the Logar Public Health Director Dr. Rasool Gul Samar said besides Logar, issues in health services provision existed all over Afghanistan.

“I admit there issues but not that much as stated by people. We are making all-out efforts to provide health services to people and all of our health centres are functional.”

According to him, 53 health centres are active in the province where many professional doctors discharge duties.

Samar said: “The main issue is that the Central Statistics Organisation (CSO) has given a wrong figure about Logar’s population to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). They give us medicine for 350,000 people. But in fact as many as 800,000 people refer to our hospitals and clinics on annual basis.”

He said all the prevailing issues had been shared with MoPH and officials concerned held promises for addressing them.

Meanwhile, the Logar governor’s spokesman, Saleem Saleh, said provincial officials were putting efforts into finding a solution to the health problems in the province.

“Our efforts include the establishing of the Naib Aminullah Khan Hospital as 90 percent of its work has been completed.”

He responded a question, saying 70 percent of patients of the province were treated inside the province.

It’s pertinent to mention that in addition to Logar, people from other parts of Afghanistan transfer their patients to Kabul or other areas for treatment.

A few days earlier, residents of Helmand province in similar context had told Pajhwok about poor health services in their province, saying they carry ill people to Pakistan or Kabul.

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