Swatis set deadline for restoration of DHQ Hospital

MINGORA: The Swat Action Committee on Thursday set a one-week deadline for the immediate restoration of the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Swat and asked the government to meet the demand.

The decision was made at a meeting of the committee held at Tehsil Municipal Administration Hall Mingora to protest against the conversion of Saidu Teaching Hospital into a Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) and to demand the full restoration of the DHQ Hospital, Swat.

The meeting was convened under the umbrella of an all-parties conference and was attended by a large number of political leaders, representatives from the Traders Federation, lawyers, the Health Employees Coordination Council, and members of civil society.

It was presided over by President of the Malakand Division Traders Federation, Abdul Rahim. Key attendees included JUI’s General Secretary Ijaz Khan, PPP District President Saleem Khan, Iqbal Hussain Bale of Jamaat-e-Islami, Muhammad Iqbal of Qaumi Watan Party, former ANP Tehsil Nazim Ikram Khan, former District Bar Association General Secretary Dunya Zaid, social activist Iftikhar Afzal, Azizul Haq, President of the Hotels Association Al-Haj Zahid Khan, spokesperson of the Traders Federation Dr. Khalid Mahmood, YDA District President Dr. Shehzad Khan, Dr. Khawaja Irfan, Tariq Khan, and General Secretary of the Swat Press Club Muhammad Shafiullah.

The participants criticized the provincial government and elected representatives for an allegedly indifferent attitude.They expressed disappointment that despite the success of an earlier jirga, no public representative had contacted the committee or attended the latest meeting, which, they said, was clear evidence of their lack of commitment to the region and its people.

The meeting declared that the imposition of the MTI system and the potential privatization of Saidu Teaching Hospital would not be tolerated under any circumstances.The committee warned of strong resistance if the government attempted to enforce this decision unilaterally.

The committee demanded the immediate restoration of the DHQ Hospital in Swat and gave the government a one-week deadline to meet their demands.Failing this, the committee announced a series of protests, sit-ins, and strikes, for which they said the government and elected representatives would be held entirely responsible.