Crisis At Wana Hospital: Patients In South Waziristan Forced To Buy Medicines As Facilities Collapse

The condition of Wana District Headquarters Hospital, the only major healthcare facility in South Waziristan Lower, has become alarming, with patients deprived of even basic medical facilities and forced to bear treatment costs themselves.

According to official figures, the government handed over the management of DHQ Hospital Wana to MURF in 2022 for a period of five years, allocating more than Rs 2.37 billion for the project. Under the agreement, MURF receives over Rs 475 million annually for medicines and staff salaries, with separate funds allocated for other expenses.

For the first two years, MURF provided some level of relief to the public. However, despite incomplete facilities under the agreement, the situation has now worsened significantly. The hospital lacks even cotton and syringes for emergencies, while a shortage of doctors persists. Patients are being forced to buy essential medicines and surgical supplies from private pharmacies for operations.

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The agreement also required that within three years MRI and X-ray machines, as well as a water filtration plant, be installed, but none of these have been provided. Even clean drinking water is not available. The only district headquarters hospital in South Waziristan Lower has effectively become non-functional, while Sheikh Fatima Hospital in Sholam and other community health centers remain closed.

Local residents have appealed to the MNA, MPA, Health Secretary, Chief Secretary, and Deputy Commissioner of South Waziristan to take immediate action to restore services at Wana Hospital and other health centers, and to compel MURF to deliver facilities in accordance with the agreement.

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