TAKHAR (SW) – Lack of health services and facilities, and unfriendly behavior of the medical staff has left residents of Takhar’s Rostaq district in disarray.
With nearly 400 villages and a population of 400,000, Rostaq is one of the major districts in Takhar. The main public health facility in the district center is frequented by villages from far flung areas. They said the health services and facilities in this hospital are far from satisfactory.
Patients and their relatives in the central hospital of the district also complained about the inappropriate behavior of the health workers, especially the workers of the obstetrics and gynecologic department. Health workers on the other hand say that the lack of facilities has become a challenge for them.
Amina and Goharshad; two such patients in the obstetrics and gynecologic department, spoke about the issues they faced. Amina said: “The midwives do not behave well, and they manipulate the patients. We are poor that is why we come here otherwise we could have gone to private clinics for better treatment. We come here considering it as a public hospital.”
Goharshad said: “The midwife came and shouted at us and said they will not look after the patient and we should take our patient elsewhere. We took our patient to Taluqan city in the middle of the night.”
According to the health officials, the obstetrics and gynecologic department here has the capacity to treat about six patients at the same time, but more than 30 patients visit this department daily and are treated.
Rukhshana, a doctor in the obstetrics and gynecology department told Salam Watandar: “We have a room for childbirth, a prenatal room, and a two-bed room for obstetric disorders. This is not enough for the many patients we get daily. In 24 hours, about 30 cases of childbirth are reported. We must take care of all this, which is difficult. The majority of patients are unhappy because of this.”
A male patient, Abdul Jamil demanded the government to expand the health capacity of this hospital. “There are 350 or 400 villages around here. Only 50 beds are not enough at all, it should be upgraded. Also, hospital employees do not behave well with people at all, and they only pay attention to those who have connections with them.”
However, hospital officials say that although the number of beds is just around 50, but its medical facilities and staff are for just a 30-bed hospital. They also want the Ministry of Public Health to increase the health service capacity of this hospital.
Farid Ahmad Keshtwarz, a surgeon specialist and head of the hospital, said: “700 patients come here every day. All of them do not go well and happy from here. Here there are midwives who have two years of education background, and they provide services to the best of their ability. But our people have higher expectations, of course they have the right.”
Makhdum Atiqullah Qanat, the deputy and head of Takhar’s public health department, told Salam Watandar that the health challenges and lack of health facilities in this hospital will be solved soon.
Health centers in Takhar used to receive additional financial support and equipment from some aid institutions, whose contracts have expired in the past few months, and now they are mostly funded by the de-facto government.
