Bajaur,(Parliament Times): District Headquarter Hospital Bajaur, the only Category A hospital in the district’s capital Khar, has been operating without a formal banking facility and an automated teller machine (ATM) in the twenty-first century. As per hospital administration, there are more than 400 doctors, health practitioners, 600 paramedics, 465 IV employees, 149 female nurses, Ayya, 43 sweepers, and other permanent staff serving at District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital Khar. There are also 26 District Health Officers (DHO) office employees working there.
Furthermore, six major private health centers are located near DHQ hospital, where treatment seeking clients are facilitated through the Sehat Sahulat Program (SSP) and health services are provided privately on patient demand. Besides, there are numerous private doctors’ clinics that are open on weekends. There are 130 medical pharmacies, 96 medical laboratories, 20 Xray-Labs, four branded sample collection centers, nine general stores, eight hotels, and several fruit and barber shops. However, none of these are facilitated by the 11 functional banks in district Bajaur. According to Parliament Times, the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) is the leading manager of government employee accounts, chased by Habib Bank Limited (HBL), followed by United Bank Limited (UBL), Allied Bank Limited (ABL), and so on. An official of DHQ Hospital, on condition of anonymity, told Parliament Times, “More than 80% of government employees hold bank accounts with Habib Bank Limited (HBL).” He also revealed that the hospital administration has approached several banks about installing an automated teller machine (ATM), but has yet to receive positive feedback from anyone
. “Though my brother’s treatment is on Sehat Card, there are some medicines that are not covered by the SSP, aside from this, I need to buy food items, etc.; here is no ATM, so I am compelled to go 2 kilometers away for a cash withdrawal,” Akbar Ali, an attendant with his brother admitted at DHQ hospital Khar, told Parliament Times. A DHQ Hospital security guard told Parliament Times that “for cash withdrawal from an ATM machine located 2 kilometers away in Khar, I have to decide whether to listen to my supervisor’s harsh words or to do my duty here.” The severe need for the immediate installation of an ATM machine has been felt and demanded by the DHQ hospital management, employees, and daily visitors for a long time. However, the issue has not been resolved yet. If this critical issue is resolved, it will provide relief to the staff, visitors, and routine business holders, saving time and energy for all the bank’s beneficiaries.