A tale of neglect

The majority of Karachi’s coastal area population is suffering from multiple diseases, mainly respiratory and skin problems, owing to the unhygienic conditions that prevail along the coastal belt as well as lack of basic medical facilities. There are as many as 1,200 villages along the coastal belt stretching from Mubarak Village up to Lath Basti. Each village has a population of around 2,000 to 5,000 people. Although nearly all the villages are decades-old, the authorities concerned have yet to come up with a comprehensive plan that could provide the fisherfolk with proper health and education facilities or even ensure electrification of the villages.
There are three dispensaries meant for the people of Hussaini Goth, Mubarak Village and Deh Allah Bano but all of them have been lying closed for years. The Mubarak Village maternity hospital was established about four years ago but the provincial health department has yet to appoint a doctor or paramedic for the facility. The villagers, therefore, have to take their patients to the nearest hospital that is located in Mauripur, some 30 kilometres away from Mubarak Village.
Sarfraz Haroon
Karachi