Summary Residents say that they have protested several times demanding for the construction of the hospital’s building but that failed to move the authorities. Photo: Dunya News
(Dunya News) – The Basic Health Unit set up in Kohala, the major entrance to Azad Jammu and Kashmir, was left in ruins following the 2005 earthquake. But with the passage of 13 years, this unit is now being run from two containers.
Medical equipment worth millions donated by aid agencies has been wasted owing to negligence of the administration and local authorities.
Residents say that they have protested several times demanding for the construction of the hospital’s building but that failed to move the authorities.
Medical equipment worth millions donated by aid agencies has been wasted owing to negligence of the administration and local authorities. Photo: Dunya News
According to one of the residents, the hospital is the only such facility in the vicinity catering to thousands. “Can someone have mercy on its condition?”
“If there is a delivery case, we have to travel all the way to Muzaffarabad. We have seen so many deaths due to this,” said one of the locals.
The staff at the centre says that the facility is deprived of electricity and in summers, without any fans it becomes unbearable for them and the patients to even stand there for a minute.
Staff at the centre also complain of the lack of facilities at the centre. Photo: Dunya News
The BHU in Kohala is run by one medical officer along with 10 other individuals on whom as much as Rs. 3.3 million is spent annually under the head of salaries. But despite this, the local population remains deprived of the benefits of the medical centre due to the negligence of the authorities.
According to one of the residents, the hospital is the only such facility in the vicinity catering to thousands. Photo: Dunya News
Due to the non-functioning of the BHU which is the closest medical centre for as many as 25 villages close to Kohala, a population of over 60,000 is at risk of being deprived of basic health facilities.
For more on this, watch a report by Dunya News below.
