PESHAWAR, Health experts and district officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stressed the need of fully-equipped ‘model emergency sections’ to manage the rising number of trauma, cardiac, and disaster-related patients at the district level.
With Peshawar’s tertiary hospitals already under pressure, officials argue that strengthening emergency care in all 35 DHQs is the only way to save lives and stop patients from making long, risky trips to the provincial capital.
Data shows a severe shortage of emergency staff across KP. In tertiary hospitals alone KTH: 20 emergency doctors available against a need of 126, LRH: 39 available against a need of 222 ,15 available against a need of 61
District hospitals face similar gaps. Without specialists, ventilators, ICU beds and triage systems, many DHQs are unable to handle critical cases.
“Patients arrive with road accidents, heart attacks and flood injuries but when they reach we don’t treat them here in the first ‘golden hour’, they may not survive the journey to Peshawar,” said a senior physician at DHQ Buner.
People still rush to LRH for minor issues. Until DHQs prove they can handle emergencies, patients won’t stop coming to Peshawar.”
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