NAROWAL: The health department has assigned more than 100 officials to carry out the culling of stray dogs across the district. As a result, sanitary inspectors, ward boys, naib qasids and other staff have reportedly abandoned their regular duties, causing disruptions in healthcare services.

The directive was issued on May 20, 2025, by chief executive officer (CEO) of the District Health Authority (DHA) Narowal, following instructions from the deputy commissioner/ health administrator.

In compliance, dog-culling teams have been formed at thetehsil and union council levels to address the rising number of stray dogs.

In Shakargarh tehsil, 58 health department employees have been deployed for this task. As many as 18 employees have been posted in Zafarwal tehsil, while 30 more have been assigned in Narowal tehsil. The deployed staff includes sanitary inspectors, workers, Naib Qasids, sanitary patrol, ward boys and security guards.

To monitor the operation, three deputy district health officers (DDHOs) and three tehsil sanitary inspectors (TSIs) have been appointed. Health workers have been seen in the field throughout the day, searching for and eliminating stray dogs under theCEO`s orders.

However, the move has led to serious concerns, as over 112 staff members from the district headquarters hospital, tehsil headquarters hospitals in Shakargarh and Zafarwal, as well as various rural health centres (RHCs) and basic health nits (BHUs), have gone absent from their primary duties. This has caused inconvenience to the public, who now face difficulties accessingbasichealth services.

Local residents, including Abrarul Haq and Naeem Ahmed, criticised the health department`s involvement in the campaign. They argued that the responsibility for controlling stray dogs lies with the livestock and dairy development depart-ment, not the health department.

They said 14 Naib Qasids had been assigned to the task, which they called a misuse of healthcare staff.

Citizens Mohammad Shafiq and Sajjad Hussain said health workers themselves were worried over the `unusual` orders, as they had to leave their medical duties to chase stray dogs.

When contacted, Health CEO Dr. Muhammad Shahbaz said he was busy in an online meeting.

Deputy Commissioner/Health Administrator Syed Hassan Raza could not be reached for comment.

Citizens have appealed to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take notice of the situation and restore health services in the district.