Despite tall claims made by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government in the health sector, the concerned authorities are yet to overcome the outbreak of dengue. So far the fatal fever has consumed 33 lives so far.
Worse than the outbreak of dengue, was the initial response of the provincial government when it rejected the help of Punjab government. The contempt shown to the experts from Punjab revealed how politics and rhetoric still outweigh effective health policies.
The situation in KP is getting dire; agitation is growing in the people of Peshawar. They have become frustrated with the poor performance of health department in controlling the dengue fever. The people of areas worst hit by the fever have threatened the government to take concrete steps. The government will face a protest if it fails to address the issue at hand, as the people of the area have warned the government already.
That the provincial government has failed miserably in inflicting a defeat on the disease is evident from a Jirga that took place yesterday. The Jirga’s members lambasted the government’s poor performance in eradicating the dengue fever. Members belonging to different political parties, including PTI’s own members, being part of the Jirga reflect people’s discontent over how the government is dealing with the issue.
Till now the KP government has not taken any concrete steps to counter the disease effectively. The leaders of the locality testified to the statement made above while addressing the gathering of people. Arbab Khizer Hayat, a provincial leader of Pakistan Muslim League (N), while criticizing the provincial government stated that the government was not serious to control the deadly virus which was affecting people of the capital city, Peshawar, and rest of the province.
If the provincial government fails to control the outbreak of disease, people of the area reserve every right to come out on streets against the government. It will be shameful if the government tries to disperse them via force instead of assuring them assistance in the fight against the dengue.