MANDI BAHAUDDIN
The people of Mandi Bahauddin expressed their displeasure over the “bad” performance of the PML-N lawmakers, regretting that the ruling party has failed to fulfill even the promises they made with the people during the electioneering of the general elections 2013.
The people said that they had pinned hope on the promises made by the Sharif brothers during election campaigns that after winning the elections they would change the destiny of the public, and power and gas loadshedding would end and development works would be initiated to facilitate life of the citizens.
“Moreover, health and education institutions would cater their health and education needs. Besides, roads infrastructure in the rural areas would be expanded and its condition would be good to facilitate the farmers to bring agriculture produce to the markets. Corruption would be eradicated and justice would prevail,” they quoted the rulers’ statements made before the elections.
With their (public) support, the PMLN won all the seats of MNAs and MPAs but their dreams are still unfulfilled, they regretted. They said Mandi Bahauddin was upgraded as district in 1993 but the facilities remained the same. For about 1.8 million citizens, there is no medical facility. Only the name of Mandi Bahauddin hospital was changed to DHQ Hospital as it has capacity of about 40 beds and there is no special health facility in the hospital, they said. The government considering plight of the people approved the expansion of the hospital to 256 beds. The construction of project started in 2010 but later the work was discontinued duet to shortage of funds, they added.
Again in 2012, they said, funds of Rs925.817 million were allocated to complete the project by 2015. But on ground no work was undertaken, they complained.
Talking about DHQ Hospital located in Mandi city, they said it was in miserable condition as it does not meet the health requirements of the people. Patients with injuries and fractions are referred to Lahore and they mostly expire before reaching there, the people said. The hospital is short of equipments, various testing machines and specialist doctors. The rich visit CMH Kharian or go to Lahore and Islamabad but the poor have no other option except to go to local private hospitals and clinics where they are fleeced, they said. Those having no money to pay fee leave the matter on the destiny.
The rulers always claim that access to healthcare is right to the citizen but in reality it is not true, they said and also criticised Imran Khan and others, adding that they collect lot of charity and build big hospitals in major cities but they do not pay attention to expand public sector medical facilities in rural areas like Mandi Bahauddin district.
They maintained that the same condition is with education institutions where teaching staff just mark the time and do not take pains to improve standard of education. “There is no improvement in gas and power load shedding as well. The gas pressure mostly remains too low to get meals cooked,” they said.
“With increase in taxes, the essential commodities’ prices have gone beyond the reach of common man. There is no improvement in performance of law-enforcing agencies and people always remain under threat. MNAs and MPAs are hardly seen in the area and access to them is not possible. Citizens when take their problems to government officers, they are advised to contact with their MNAs or MPAs,” they said.
Common man is depressed due to lack of justice, they said and appealed to the Punjab chief minister to address their plight and at least complete the expansion project of DHQ Hospital at the earliest.