Tribesmen pin hopes on Buzdar for resolution of area problems

DERA GHAZI KHAN: The tribesmen and the locals have pinned hopes on the newly-elected Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar to develop the remote and backward area.

People believe that he would launch mega projects in health, education and communication sector which are under miserable conditions in the district in general and rural tribal areas in particular.

The health sector of the area needs immediate reforms. The bitter fact is that the senior medical officers and the women medical officers used to avoid joining the basic and the rural health centres of the far-flung areas despite availability of infrastructure coupled with the sanctioned posts. The patients and their families ultimately face the consequences for travelling miles to get medical treatment at the private hospitals either at Taunsa Shareef or Dera Ghazi Khan.

The locals believe that due to the extraordinary load of patients at both hospitals being operated by the district health department, the patients could not get proper services and the current deplorable condition forces them to bring their patients to private hospitals which charge beyond their capacity.

Social worker Bilal Merani demanded that Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar should focus on providing quality health services here like Services Hospital Lahore, Nishter Hospital Multan, Bhawal Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur and Sheikh Zayed Hospital Rahimyar Khan.

Talking to The News, local intellectual Mudassar Buzdar said that the chief minister should focus on providing quality education in the area as the students used to stop getting education due to their poor financial condition while some of them, who can afford, move to Multan, Lahore and Islamabad.

He said women education should also be on the priority as the girls drop out ratio in tribal and rural areas was more than the rest of the country. He demanded establishment of girls’ schools and colleges to ensure high standard of education for the needy and brilliant students.

Sajjad Qaisrani, a tribesman, said as the CM was well-informed about the area problems, he should concentrate on construction of roads and provide electricity to the tribal area. It is to be mentioned here that except Fort Munro, all the five tribes - Tuman Qaisrani, Tuman Buzdar, Tuman Lound, Tuman Khosa and Tuman Leghari - of Dera Ghazi Khan district are deprived of electricity and carpeted roads.