Attock Residents Decry 'Doctorless' State-of-the-Art Maryam Nawaz Health Center, Seek Urgent Action

Millions spent on Maryam Nawaz Health Centre Chhab, but six doctor posts remain vacant as OPD stays closed and emergency patients are referred elsewhere; residents seek immediate appointments

Staff Report

ATTOCK: A newly upgraded Maryam Nawaz Health Centre in district Attock’s Chhab area has become a striking example of the gap between healthcare infrastructure and service delivery, with a modern building, emergency department, laboratory, X-ray facility, operation theatre, nurses and other staff in place but no doctor available to treat patients.

Residents have appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the provincial health authorities to take immediate notice of the situation and ensure that doctors are appointed without further delay.

The Maryam Nawaz Health Centre Chhab, located in Chhab, a sub-tehsil and Union Council of Jand Tehsil in District Attock, Punjab has remained without a doctor for the past month, forcing the outpatient department (OPD) to remain non-functional and leaving patients arriving in emergencies with no option but to seek treatment at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

The facility is considered an important healthcare centre for residents of seven Union Councils in the area. Local residents say substantial public funds have been spent on its upgradation, including the construction of a new emergency department, raising expectations that the improved facility would provide better and more accessible medical services to the local population.

Instead, they say, the absence of doctors has rendered much of the newly developed infrastructure ineffective.

According to details provided by residents and contained in a written complaint in the name of Punjab Health Minister, submitted to the provincial health authorities, the health centre has six sanctioned posts for doctors. Five posts are designated for male doctors and one for a female doctor. All six positions are currently vacant, according to the residents.

The last doctor working at the facility was reportedly employed on a contract basis, but the contract expired, leaving the health centre without any doctor.

The shortage has had an immediate impact on routine and emergency healthcare services. With no medical officer available to examine patients, the OPD is not functioning, while people requiring urgent medical attention are being referred to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

Residents have questioned the rationale behind investing millions of rupees in upgrading a health facility and constructing a modern emergency department without ensuring the availability of doctors to operate it.

The health centre, they said, already has much of the infrastructure required to provide basic and emergency healthcare. Laboratory testing and X-ray services are reportedly available, while nursing and support staff continue to perform their duties. However, without doctors, patients cannot fully benefit from these facilities.

According to the detail, around 40 to 50 employees are posted at the centre, including four dispensers, five staff nurses, two Lady Health Visitors, a clerk, a midwife and other employees.

The presence of a sizeable support workforce alongside completely vacant doctor positions has further frustrated residents, who argue that medical staffing should have been treated as an essential component of the facility’s upgradation.

They said the construction of the new emergency department had raised hopes that the government would strengthen the health centre by appointing additional doctors and expanding healthcare services. Instead, they alleged, the facility ended up losing even the limited medical cover previously available.

Residents have appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the provincial health authorities to take immediate notice of the situation and ensure that doctors are appointed without further delay.

They have specifically requested the immediate appointment of at least one female doctor, preferably a gynaecologist, and a male doctor so that essential outpatient and emergency services can resume. They have also called for all sanctioned doctor posts to be filled on a permanent basis.

 “Laboratory testing and X-ray facilities are available, and the entire support staff is present, but there is no doctor to examine and treat patients,” residents said in their appeal to the authorities.

They maintained that the absence of doctors was forcing people to travel to other health facilities even for conditions that could otherwise be treated locally, adding unnecessary costs and delays for families, particularly those requiring urgent medical attention.

The residents have also raised a separate issue concerning an ambulance reportedly donated to the health facility. According to their complaint, the ambulance remained parked in a garage for nearly a year because it had not been registered or assigned a number. During this period, patients requiring transportation were compelled to hire private ambulances.

They also called for action against any official or employee found responsible for negligence or mismanagement. The Maryam Nawaz Health Centre serves a large catchment area covering seven Union Councils, according to local residents, making its staffing situation particularly significant for communities that depend on it for primary and emergency healthcare.

Residents said the distance to alternative facilities can create difficulties for patients, especially in emergencies, and that referring every serious case elsewhere defeats the purpose of having an upgraded emergency unit in Chhab.

They have therefore urged the provincial government to treat the matter as an urgent administrative and public-health issue rather than merely a staffing shortage.

The area also has economic significance because oil and gas extraction activities are carried out in the broader region, contributing to the country’s energy sector. Residents believe that communities in such areas should have access to adequate public services, including functional healthcare facilities.

The residents said they welcomed the government’s investment in Chhab but stressed that the project could not achieve its intended purpose unless doctors and other essential healthcare professionals were available.