Tank has been a district for 30 years, but people still travel to other cities for common healthcare needs.

Situated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between South Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, and Dera Ismail Khan, Tank has a population of approximately five lac. It is recognised as one of the underdeveloped districts in the province. There has been a lack of progress in crucial areas such as water, electricity, communication, and particularly in the healthcare sector.

The district has only one tehsil-level hospital (Type C), which serves not only the residents of Tank and its neighbouring areas but also people from South Waziristan. However, this hospital needs more treatment facilities.

Fazal Karim Tatoor, the political leader of Tank and president of Nazamin Ittehad, highlights that the hospital’s emergency department lacks adequate facilities, with pain injections being the only available treatment option.

In the past, patients who arrived here were referred to other hospitals. “However, due to financial constraints, Rescue 1122 has discontinued transferring patients to other cities, except those injured. Consequently, individuals must pay a significant amount to obtain an ambulance service.”

He further explains that the hospital has not been upgraded since the district’s establishment. As a result, the current building will be insufficient for any future expansion of the hospital. This means that even though the number of staff and doctors may increase, their accommodation will not be arranged, hindering their ability to perform their duties effectively.

Ghazala Hidayat, the hospital’s medical superintendent, addresses the negative claims surrounding the quality of treatment, emphasising that they are not grounded in factual evidence. She states, “Despite limited resources and the hospital’s heavy workload, we strive to deliver quality treatment within the means available.”

Sharing the performance report from last month, she highlights that in June, over 15,000 patients received examinations at the hospital, with over 5,000 patients receiving treatment in the emergency ward.
“In the previous month, the hospital performed 32 general operations, assisted over 200 delivery patients (including 31 operations), conducted 16 eye surgeries, seven orthopaedic procedures, and two urology surgeries.”

Tank social leader and former district health officer Dr Tahir Javed Arain confirms the words of Fazal Karim and says that upgrading the hospital is not possible in the existing building.

He proposes transforming the current hospital building into a Women’s and Children’s Hospital while suggesting the construction of a new building for the District Headquarters Hospital on Dera Ismail Khan Road.

He mentions that public-private partnership hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have achieved better outcomes, suggesting that the public hospital in Tank should also be operated in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation to enhance its performance.

“Due to the limitation of funds, providing adequate facilities to patients from both Tank and South Waziristan districts is not feasible. Therefore, the provincial government should allocate a special annual grant specifically for the hospital, which a dedicated committee can manage.”

However, Fazal Karim disagrees with operating the hospital through a partnership between the public and private sectors. He points out that a non-governmental organisation had hired some employees for hospital security and cleanliness a year ago, but they have yet to receive their salaries.

“If the hospital’s management is entrusted to the private sector or non-governmental organisations, it may escalate problems.”

He views the hospital’s upgradation as the sole viable solution. He firmly believes that enhancing the hospital’s infrastructure will expand its patient capacity and treatment capabilities. Additionally, appointing new specialist doctors will greatly benefit the local community.

Dr Ghazala Hidayat discloses that all the necessary paperwork for the hospital’s upgradation has been finalised and submitted to the provincial headquarters. There is optimism that the government will promptly take action on this matter.