ISLAMABAD – Around 19 percent of Rural Health Centres (RHCs) lack operational delivery rooms while 17 percent do not have trained staff to attend the tuberculosis patients.
According to a survey carried out by Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN), in light of commitment to the Millennium Development Goals, lack of trained staff to deal with TB cases and operational delivery kits and rooms at monitored RHCs should be a cause of concern.
In addition to lack of staff to run TB, diarrhoeal and malaria control programmes, deficiencies were seen with regard to basic equipment necessary for diagnosis and treatment. A significant number of RHCs also did not have gas and telephone connections.
FAFEN’s monitors visited 72 RHCs in 61 districts nationwide during January 2011. It says 38 RHCs were in 28 districts of Punjab, 21 in 18 districts of KP, eight in nine districts of Sindh and five in six districts of Balochistan. Paediatric and female reproductive health was observed to be in a state of neglect since 19 per cent of the monitored RHCs lacked operational delivery rooms.
Likewise, 83 percent of the monitored RHCs did not provide food to vulnerable groups, including lactating mothers and malnourished children. Similarly, advisory services to breastfeeding mothers were not offered in 25 percent of the monitored RHCs. Ophthalmology (eye) and dental rooms were missing in 86 percent and 26 percent of the monitored RHCs, respectively, while operation theatres for minor operations were not present in 24 percent RHCs.
It was also observed that 14 percent RHCs had no laboratory which means that there is no place to carry out necessary medical tests in the RHCs, or of safely storing the results. In all these cases, the absence of these medical services has the same consequence of additional cost of travel and accommodation for patients who will have to seek treatment in other areas. Also, if treatments are spread over several sittings, it will further increase the overall costs.
Apart from other deficiencies, functional ambulances were not present in 22 percent of the monitored RHCs which has negative implications for the emergency services of the respective facility. Power backup arrangements (generators) were also not available in 36 percent RHCs.
