In protest over the impending closure of the only healthcare facility in Dasu, Upper Kohistan, a huge group of people shut down the Karakoram Highway for several hours on Friday.
As part of a Public-Private Partnership, the government of Pakistan transferred ownership of the country’s lone hospital to the nonprofit Nida Pakistan. Maulana Waliullah Tauhidi, the prayer leader of a nearby mosque, addressed the protestors at Dasu and said that the facility had been shut down because the physicians, paramedical workers, and other staff had been refused salary for five straight months.
The crowd, led by Tauhidi, chanted anti-Nida Pakistan slogans. Nida Pakistan is a non-governmental organisation.The blockage of the main artery caused delays for hours for people commuting between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan as well as intra-district.
According to Tauhidi, for the past five months, Nida Pakistan has withheld the pay of the physicians, paramedics, and other staff who have treated patients brought to the DHQ hospital for free as part of a signed agreement of understanding.
Protestors put forward their demands forward
Tauhidi also requested that the prime minister look into the possibility of money stolen from the facility’s budget. Maulana Abdul Aziz, a local leader, warned that if the problem was not resolved immediately, the community will restrict access to the KKH indefinitely.
Another resident, Fazl Haq, spoke up during the meeting to bring attention to the fact that the locals could not afford treatment at private healthcare facilities.
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