Bajaur              -        The district administration has expressed displeasure over the performance of District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Khar after a team of senior officials found several staff absent from their duties and poor health care facilities during a surprise visit to the hospital.

Assistant Commissioner Fazal Raheem, who led the team during surprise visit, told reporters on Monday that the raid was conducted following growing complaints by the local community of poor health facilities at the hospital. He said the team expressed dissatisfaction over the overall performance of the hospital, the main health facility in the district, as several staff was absent from their duties and poor facilities were being provided to the patients

He said the raiding team visited casualty and emergency department, male wards, children wards and other sections of the hospitals.

The team found several staff members of various sections either absent from duties or not present on duties.

The official claimed that most of basic facilities including medicines, electricity, drinking water were not available in the hospital and wash rooms were in extremely bad conditions. The team also witnessed that a solar-power system installed in the hospital at the cost of Rs 15 million two years ago was not functioning for last several weeks without any solid reasons.

He said the team also talked to the patients and their attendants who showed dissatisfaction over the facilities and health care services available in the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Medical Superintendent (MS) of the District Headquarters Hospital, Khar Dr Azizur Rahman, while confirming the surprise visit of the hospital by a team of district administration, said the officials had no right to pay such a visit of the hospital.

Dr Aziz said the district administration had nothing with District Headquarters Hospital as it was a health facility running under the provincial health department. He said he was not against the visit, as everyone can visit the hospital, however, he was against the attitude of the officials during the visit.