PHC again seeks govt response over health facilities in South Waziristan

PESHAWAR - The Peshawar High Court has once again demanded responses from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary and other officials regarding a petition concerning a shortage of health facilities in Upper South Waziristan, a tribal district. Counsel for the petitioners, Sajjad Ahmad Mehsud, informed the court that in June, the respondents were asked for their comments within two weeks, but have yet to be submitted.

Notices have been issued to the chief secretary, health secretary, and director general of health services to file their comments. The petition, filed by residents of Ladha tehsil in the district, sought the court's declaration that the lack of adequate health services in Upper South Waziristan is unconstitutional and violates fundamental rights.

It requested orders for the respondents to ensure the availability of qualified doctors, including women medics, essential medicines, and necessary medical equipment. The petition also called for the full functionality of basic health units, rural health centers, and civil dispensaries, especially in remote areas like Karama. The petitioners requested the court to establish medico-legal units and postmortem facilities urgently.

South Waziristan was a tribal agency part of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) until 2018 when it became a settled district after merging with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through the Constitution (Twenty-Fifth Amendment) Act. In 2022, South Waziristan was split into Upper and Lower South Waziristan districts. The respondents, upon creating the Upper South Waziristan district, were legally and constitutionally obligated to provide essential infrastructure, including a fully functional DHQ hospital.

However, despite the passage of considerable time, the respondents have failed to establish the hospital, leaving the population without basic health services. The healthcare structure in the district currently consists of few BHUs and small health centers, which are either non-functional or under-resourced, lacking qualified staff, medicines, and essential equipment.

There are no medico-legal facilities or postmortem units in the district, forcing families to transport deceased loved ones to other districts, causing delays, forensic evidence degradation, and hindering justice. Long travel distances, ranging from five to seven hours to Dera Ismail Khan and 14-15 hours to Peshawar, often lead to preventable fatalities due to lack of timely medical intervention.