Gujar Khan - The chief minister’s advisor on health in Punjab, Maj Gen (Rtd) Dr. Azhar Mahmood Kiyani, expressed his deep sense of shock and surprise over the condition of the residents of Pind Dadan Khan who are cut off from the district headquarters in Jhelum due to the miserable condition of the 128 km Lillah-Jhelum road, saying, “many patients from P.D. Khan can lose their lives on the way to hospitals in major cities.”
According to details, the visit was made by Major General (Rtd) Dr. Azhar Mahmood Kiyani, provincial health advisor, to Pind Dadan Khan to kickstart the polio vaccination drive in district Jhelum, during which over 280,000 children under the age of 5 years would be administered polio drops. While talking to reporters, Dr. Kiyani expressed his concerns about the dilapidated condition of the 128-km Lillah-Jhelum road, the dualisation of which has been stalled for over two years, saying that its construction needed to be completed on priority. Dr. Kiyani said that the matter was highlighted with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, hoping that more funds would be released for the resumption of construction soon.
Taking notice of the state of affairs in the tehsil, the health advisor said that Pind Dadan Khan was one of the most backward tehsils of Punjab, regretting that medical officers deny their postings here due to the non-availability of good roads, educational institutes, and other facilities.
Addressing the shortage of medical staff at THQ Hospital in Pind Dadan Khan, the health advisor said that a cardiologist had been transferred from DHQ Hospital in Jhelum to P.D. Khan, and more doctors would be posted to overcome the human resource issue. Dr. Kiyani, who is himself a renowned cardiologist, said that he would also voluntarily visit the facility once a month for check-ups of cardiac patients and to keep a check on the hospital administration. The advisor said interviews of around 500 medical specialists would be conducted next week for their permanent employment with the Punjab government, adding that they would be posted in areas suffering from acute staff shortages. He said that the THQ Pind Dadan Khan would be equipped with the best facilities and instruments to ensure that most patients get treatment in their hometowns. During the visit to the hospital’s emergency ward, the health advisor expressed his concerns over the non-availability of life-saving injections related to cardiac arrest, asking the medical officer, “What would you do if the assistant commissioner of the tehsil [standing next to him] visits the emergency as a patient?”
On the other hand, residents of the area have urged the health advisor to take notice of the stalled construction of the Tobah Trauma Centre in P.D. Khan tehsil. According to local sources, work at the facility has been stalled for around two years, which was approved by the ex-federal minister from the area, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, during his tenure in the previous government.
