Outcry as Aga Khan Health Centre ceases operations in Ghizer

GILGIT: The Aga Khan Medical Centre, a long-standing healthcare facility serving the local community in the Gupis area of Ghizer district, has been closed following the expiration of its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gilgit-Baltistan government, a move that has sparked an outcry among the local community.

The decision has stirred significant concern among residents and stakeholders. Ghizer District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Afzal Siraj Chaudhry confirmed to HUM News English that the MoU, which had been in place for 12 years, expired this year and was not renewed by the government.

“The government had an MoU for 12 years, which expired this year, and it didn’t extend the MoU,” Dr Chaudhry stated. He explained that the government’s intention was to upgrade the hospital to the status of district headquarters (DHQ) for the proposed Gupis-Yasin district.

A committee has been established to oversee the upgrading and operationalising of three hospitals to DHQ status in the forthcoming districts: Gupis-Yasin, Darel-Tangir, and Rondu. During their assessment, the committee visited two hospitals in the Ghizer district, one in Yasin and the other in Gupis.

Initially, Yasin hospital was selected for the DHQ upgrade. However, due to its inaccessibility for residents of various nullahs, the committee eventually chose the hospital in Gupis, deeming it more accessible for all.

Chaudhry disclosed that a significant investment of Rs400 million would be allocated to the hospitals in Gupis, Ghizer, and Darel, Diamer, under a Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) project named “Danish Hospitals”.

Of the total funds, Rs160 million has been earmarked for procuring standard hospital equipment. “The government wanted to upgrade it to a mega level, so it was necessary to end the MoU,” he explained, adding that G-B Chief Minister Gulbar Khan terminated the MoU to facilitate this upgrade.

Dr Chaudhry criticized the Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHSP), asserting that under the 2012 MoU, the AKHSP was obligated to provide specialized doctors and modern equipment but failed to do so. “Last year, when I protested, a woman doctor was appointed; otherwise, the hospital was at the mercy of a doctor named Karim,” he alleged. He further challenged the effectiveness of the arrangement, stating, “One should hold a forum and call me for a debate on the benefits of the arrangement. There are none.”

As the Medical Superintendent (MS) of DHQ Ghizer, Dr Chaudhry highlighted that residents from Yasin and Gupis frequently traveled to DHQ even for minor procedures like appendectomies. “If it is limited only to circumcision, it’s better it would be closed,” he remarked.

He announced that six specialist doctors were being hired for the hospital and expressed optimism about its improved operation. “As I belong to the area, I want to serve the area in a better way and give something to the area that I can remember,” he pledged, committing to personally attend the hospital’s OPD until the project is completed.

However, the closure has not been without its detractors. Muhammad Wazir Shafi, a social activist and lawyer from Yasin Valley, claimed that sectarian elements opposed the arrangement from its inception. “They created hurdles and raised unnecessary objections about their services and inability to fulfill the MoU,” he noted. In 2017, detractors even approached the G-B Supreme Appellate Court, which commissioned an investigation into the allegations.

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The commission, led by Civil Judge Luqman, instead of focusing on the fulfillment of the MoU, reported issues such as the lack of purdah arrangements for women and poor treatment of female patients. The Supreme Appellate Court eventually dismissed the allegations, ruling in favor of AKHS and expressing displeasure with Judge Luqman’s performance, subsequently transferring him to Astore.

Shafi stated that the AKHSP had invested Rs400 million for the upgradation of the hospital. Locals had arranged 18 kanal of land for AKHSP in the Hamardas area. Instead of erecting a building there, they settled for an MoU, which, according to Shafi, demonstrated their unwillingness and lack of sincerity.

He said he had discussed the matter with AKHSP officials and the local member of the G-B Assembly, Ghulam Muhammad, pressing them to construct a building there and, in the interim, to shift the facility to a private building. “We will not let it be closed,” he pledged.

HUM News English attempted to contact the AKHSP general manager for comment, but the calls went unanswered.