Daily Times

Around 1,000 patients mostly kids in Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are suffering from the crippling leishmaniasis disease since 3 months, but the district administration of Mohmand keeps deadly silence on the issue as the residents of the area shift their kids to Peshawar and Islamabad for treatment.

A tropical and subtropical disease transmitted by the bite of sand flies affects either the skin or the internal organs. Leishmaniasis is primarily a skin disease usually breeding in fresh water mostly creating a fungus cover on the face of children.

A father Shahid Ali Khan whose two kids are suffering from the disease told the media that on weekly basis, ‘I visited Peshawar to vaccinate my kids on cost of 3,000 rupees. I make repeated visits to the hospitals for vaccination but they are only serving vaccines to their relatives.’

Another father told that the head quarter hospital in Mohmand due to health department’s cover is selling the vaccine in black in 1,000 rupees per vaccine while the selling of these vaccines was prohibited.

KP’s several districts are being engulfed by the crippling disease. According to the officials of the health department of the province, the vaccines are not available and they have written to the World Health Organization (WHO) for facilitation of vaccines.

A source in the health department told that the high brass officials didn’t taking serious measures for ensuring the availability of vaccines but they issued a sweeping statement that they will request to World Health Organisation WHO.

He added that the KP health officials failed to provide timely vaccination to the affected people. But according to the health officials and media reports, Mohmand district of the KP is worst affected by the disease where the number of patients is more than 1,000.

The parents told news reporters that both the District Commissioner (DC) and the head of the headquarter hospital of Ghallani are not listing to their grievances and avoiding meeting with them. They added that they had written various applications to the DC Mohmand Iftikhar Alam Khan and district surgeon but no one responded on the issue.

The affected families requested Chief Minister KPK for swift action and ensuring the availability of the vaccine on a war footing.

Daily Times made various attempts to connect with Health Minister KPK Hisham Inamullah Khan, PRO Health Daniyal Khan and DC Mohmand Iftikhar Alam but no one responded on the issue.

Published in Daily Times, February 8^th 2019.