Residents of South Waziristan Lower seek transparency over hospital staffing, emergency services, specialist doctors and the reported annual budget of Rs120 million.
WANА, South Waziristan Lower: Questions have been raised over the performance of Sheikh Fatima Hospital in Sholam, with local residents demanding transparent information about its medical services, staff availability and emergency facilities instead of promotional claims and photographs shared on social media.
Residents have urged the hospital administration, the provincial health department and Transcontinental Pharma (TCP), which manages the facility, to publish verifiable performance figures and explain whether patients are receiving the medical services expected from a major public-sector hospital.
Saeed Anwar Wazir, a resident of Sholam Landay Waray, expressed concern over claims made by TCP on its official Facebook page regarding the availability of essential medical facilities at the hospital. He alleged that the situation on the ground does not match those claims, particularly at night, when patients reportedly face difficulties accessing adequate medical care and emergency services.
Wazir questioned why the administration does not regularly disclose the number of patients visiting the outpatient department (OPD), hospital admissions, surgeries and emergency cases if the facility is fully operational.
He also sought details about the number of doctors, specialists, nurses and paramedical staff employed at the hospital, how many regularly perform their duties and which emergency services remain available around the clock.
Particular concern was expressed over dialysis, gynecology and trauma services. Wazir said kidney patients require access to nephrologists and dialysis facilities, while women with complicated medical and maternity conditions need qualified gynecologists. Similarly, accident victims and critically injured patients require trauma surgeons and appropriately trained medical teams.
According to him, the alleged shortage of specialists and essential facilities forces some patients to travel to Wana, Dera Ismail Khan or other distant cities for treatment. Such journeys increase financial pressure on families and may result in delays in receiving critical medical attention.
Wazir said TCP had assumed responsibility for the hospital’s administrative affairs and medical services under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government. He put the hospital’s reported annual budget at approximately Rs120 million and questioned how the money was being spent.
He called for a breakdown of expenditure on doctors’ salaries, medical equipment, medicines, machinery maintenance and other essential services, arguing that residents should be informed about how public resources allocated to the institution are being used.
He demanded that the hospital administration and TCP issue a comprehensive performance report covering the previous six months or one year. The report, he said, should include OPD attendance, admissions, surgeries, dialysis sessions, maternity cases, trauma cases and emergency services, along with details of available specialists, nursing staff, paramedics, medicines and medical equipment.
He also urged the relevant authorities to conduct an impartial inspection to assess the hospital’s actual performance and the availability of round-the-clock medical services.
Sheikh Fatima Hospital was built with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates. In 2018, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government handed over its administrative management and medical services to health management company Transcontinental Pharma under a public-private partnership arrangement.
Residents have appealed to the provincial health department, the South Waziristan Lower district administration and senior TCP officials to address their concerns, ensure the appointment of specialist doctors and improve dialysis, gynecology and trauma services.
They say the hospital should deliver practical medical care to local communities rather than relying on promotional claims, as thousands of families in the region depend on access to timely and quality healthcare.
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