Health Standards in Washuk are Besieged by Cruel Forces of Negligence, Low Staff, Inefficient Administration and Illiteracy

Dr. Musadiq Aziz Essazai
aziz_musadiq@yahoo.com

District Washuk is located in south west of Balochistan province, have a total area of 33.093 square km. it is one of the biggest districts in Balochistan. It had a total population of 129,747 according to census of 1998. It is facing serious social and economic problems. Literacy rate is very low and basic rights of life are not available to people. In this modern era of Information and Technology, electricity, bank, mobile service, DSL is some of the major problems which this district faces. Besides this, unstable and incompetent governmental departments are causing discontent in public. Yet now, no serious efforts have been taken to bring Washuk at par with other districts.With vast area and dispersed population, poor health facilities, lack of awareness and communication facilities, insufficient number of hospitals and vacant posts in them have made district most backward with respect to health in region. According to government sources and official report, district Washuk has one District Headquarter Hospital, one Rural Health Center, nineteen Basic Health Units, fifteen civil dispensaries and one MCHC.

Washuk has seven male doctors, two female nurses, 25 midwife, two hundred eighty four paramedical staff, thirteen health visitors, one hundred forty lady health workers which are less to provide health facility to poor people.

According to MICS 2010 report, Antenatal Care is 29 percent, 89% birth cases occur in homes, only 11% are attended by trained health workers, mortality rate of one year children is 8.8% and 11.2% children do not see their 5^th birthday, each 18535 people have one doctor, 64874 people have one female nurse, 457 people have one paramedical staff, 3707 people have single bed, 20760 people have one lady health worker. 7% population uses iodine salts. Female literacy rate is less than 6%.

Along with district health department, PPHI, National Program for Family Planning, TB control Program, Extended Program for Immunization (EPI), Malaria Control Program is working in district. There is only one private hospital and no NGO is working to develop health standards there.

In established hospitals, insufficient number of doctors is a big problem. The posts of doctors in district headquarter hospital, rural health center and basic health units are vacant. There is no specialist doctor, dental surgeon, lady doctor in whole district. Services for child and mother health care are unavailable. MNCH is partially active with one center.  Private maternity home and clinics are unavailable.

Complications of delivery and mother mortality are high. Lack of awareness about mother health care, lack of family health planning, absence of midwife and malnutrition of mothers, untrained birth tenants, inaccessibility and unavailability of baby care services, Hypertension, infection and illness after labor are main causes of this mortality. During pregnancy and after child birth, females are not checked up.

During labor complication cases, ambulance service is not available to take them to nearby city. Nutritional disease and respiratory diseases are common in district. United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) has not been initiated in district. Performance of PPHI is unsatisfactory in district. There is absence of male and female support groups, school health sessions, community health sessions and health hygienic programs. In BHUs, microscope, glucometer, haemometer, typhoid and malaria kits are unavailable for normal medical tests. People go to other districts to conduct these basic tests. Hospitals have destroyed buildings and have no electricity and telephone services.

There is no proper managements for preventive vaccination of children from communicable diseases that is why the ratio of the communicable disease is high as compared to other districts. According to the demographic and health surveys, the children are found to be weak from malnutrition and cannot fight infection. Shortage of medicines and labor rooms is another big problem which hospitals face.

If we put a glance at malaria control program, annual parasite incidence is 4.3% in Washuk and it should not be more than .0005% (according to WHO standards). Same is case with falciforms.

 According to TB control program, case detection rate is 82% and treatment success rate is 86%. Extended Program for Immunization (EPI) provides vaccines for six communicable diseases. The ratio of preventive vaccination is very low especially TT2 is 8% while BCG, DPT, influenza ratios are also disappointing. Lack of awareness of public towards vaccination is also a cause of it. Performance of National Program is not different from above. No medical camp had been held here since 2010 to help poor people. Hepatitis is a common disease there. No group is working to control hepatitis and AIDS.

Sheikh Zayed Bin Nihyan hospital of Basima is partially functional. Hospital ambulance is damaged. Laboratories of hospitals have lack of instruments. Doctors and paramedical staff have no accommodation facility.

In this predicament situation, poor people of Washuk are suffering serious health problems. Yet now, no concrete measures are under consideration. Disparate efforts are needed to solve health problems. MPA and MNA have to take this at priority. Provincial Health Department of Balochistan must give attention to it. Community has to play its role and make a momentum to sort out a way for problems. Interpersonal communication (IPC) is very important for success of immunization program; we have to realize the role of workers, vaccinators, lady health workers, community volunteers, as front line communicator. They can play a pivotal role in increasing awareness. Political leaders from different parties of district Washuk have to understand problems and take health problems at priority. Sense of motivation, passion and quest of knowledge should be created in public about health. This can be achieved via school health sessions, community health sessions.