KARAK: The rural health centre (RHC) of Shnawa Guddikhel union council at Shah Saleem here lacks health staff, including doctors, forcing people of the area to take their patients to other hospitals in Karak.

President of a local Islahi Jirga Shaheenullah and others told mediapersons here on Thursday that people of the Shanwa Guddikhel town had no other option, but to take their patients, sometime in critical condition, to other hospitals in the district. They claimed that there were also instances when persons suffering bullet injuries died on way to hospital outside the union council.

They said that the RHC was established in 2006 to cater to the health needs of Shanwa Guddikhel, which had a population of around80,000. They said that precious equipment provided to the health centre was rusting, as there was no staff to use it.

The sanctioned posts of medical officer and lady doctor have never been filled.

The health centre is being run by a technician only. The local people claimed that they were not aware if any medicines were being provided to the health centre by the government.

Technician of the RHC, Shabir Nawaz, said that there was acute shortage of staff at the centre since long.

The local elders have demanded of the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to provide all the sanctioned staff and medicines to the RHC according to its slogan of change and if it really was interested in the welfare of people. -Correspondent