Timergara maternal, child health unit handed over to Health Deptt

TIMERGARA: While moving close to complete winding up of its activities in Lower Dir district after 11 years of medical services, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has handed over the maternal and child health unit (MCH) at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital here to the Department of Health.

The MSF had announced in November 2019 to gradually hand over the responsibility of various departments by forming a steering committee of representatives of MSF to the local authorities and the Department of Health for managing the process.

The MSF handed over the emergency room in March 2020 and the newborn unit in August 2020. The handover process would be completed by January 31, 2021 after handing over support services, such as the laundry, blood bank, sterilisation, and the waste management and energy zones.

The maternal and child health unit (MCH) in the DHQ Hospital will continue to run under the Health department.

Speaking at a news briefing at Timergara Press Club, MSF deputy project coordinator for the DHQ Hospital, Ijaz Zarin, said the organization was donating medicines for the next six months, and all the medical, biomedical and logistical equipment currently installed in the unit would also be donated to the Health department. He said the MSF also recently undertook renovation work of the building.

“We have taken all possible measures, including donation of drugs and experience sharing, with the department of health staff in order to make this a smooth transition,” he said.