Gojal hospital still lacks operation unit

HUNZA: The local authorities have not appointed a surgeon at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Gulmit.

Governor Gilgit-Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira had ordered setting up of an emergency operation unit, appointment of a surgeon and paramedic staff at the hospital during his visit to the disaster-hit region on Jan 10.

The THQ hospital caters to the needs of 25,000 population of Gojal, the largest tehsil of Hunza-Nagar district, which has been cut off from rest of the country after a devastating landslide which blocked the Hunza River and Karakoram Highway in Atabad on Jan 4.

Head of a health unit in Hunza said that 130 deliveries were expected in the cut-off mountainous Gojal area within two months and 15 per cent were likely to undergo major medical procedures.

Meanwhile, the Coordination Committee of the Affected People of Gojal at a press conference in Aliabad demanded of the government and National Disaster Management Authority to expedite work on release of water from the lake formed on the Hunza River.

They feared that the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) could not be able to release water in the given timeframe of 45 days. If the pace of work remained the same, a large number of the low-lying areas of Gojal would submerge into lake. They demanded of the government to declare Gojal a disaster-hit area and provide facilities accordingly.

Our Correspondent from Gilgit adds: Dozens of young people from Gojal took out a rally from the Gilgit Press Club and reached the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA) where they staged a sit-in and blocked the road, suspending traffic for two hours.

The protesters were holding placards and banners inscribed with demands for urgent release of water from the artificial lake. The protesters were addressed by local leaders, asking the government to take immediate measures for release of water from the lake.

Meanwhile, teachers serving in various government schools staged a protest demonstration outside the Directorate of Education Gilgit-Baltistan against ‘violation’ of the promotion policy.

A large number of teachers were promoted from BS-9 to next grades allegedly superseding seniors. The teachers demanded of the government to promote teachers in accordance with the seniority list. DAWN