Pakistan: Doctor shortage leaves Attock’s Chhab Health Centre in crisis

Rawalpindi [Pakistan], October 9 (ANI): The Maryam Nawaz Health Centre in Chhab, located in Jand tehsil of Attock district, is facing a severe healthcare crisis due to prolonged staff shortages, forcing patients to depend on a dispenser for medical consultations and prescriptions. Several residents have reportedly been travelling to hospitals in Rawalpindi to seek treatment, as reported by The Express Tribune.
According to The Express Tribune, six sanctioned doctor positions at the 40-kanal facility remain vacant, leaving the centre struggling to provide essential medical services. A doctor appointed on a temporary basis reportedly worked for just 20 days before proceeding on leave.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Health in Attock has allegedly permitted the only available doctor to take leave without arranging an alternative, further disrupting healthcare services.
Local residents and patients’ relatives, including Faisal Mushtaq, Ghyoor Ahmed and Zareena Bibi, have appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the provincial Health Department to address the staffing crisis urgently.
They demanded that all vacant positions be filled and substitute doctors be deployed whenever serving physicians proceed on leave. The crisis has persisted despite reportedly more than PKR 30 million being spent on upgrading the health centre this year. Several facilities remain unusable because of unresolved infrastructure problems, highlighting concerns over the effectiveness of the expenditure.
The hospital’s faulty electricity transformer has reduced the power supply to a single phase, preventing patients from accessing the X-ray facility despite the availability of the equipment. Residents have called on the hospital administration to submit the necessary demand notice to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) to facilitate repairs, as cited by The Express Tribune.
A solar power system has also been installed at the facility, but it remains disconnected, adding to the difficulties faced by patients and medical staff. Residents have further demanded the reinstatement of Dr Mansoor, who reportedly served the hospital for 15 years before his contract expired and was not renewed, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)