Jhelum Valley faces healthcare, education crisis; Abbasi urges Pakistan PM to take action

Hattian Bala [PoJK] December 10 (ANI): Former Assembly candidate Liaquat Qayyum Abbasi has called on the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to prioritise the neglected needs of Jhelum Valley residents, highlighting the dire state of healthcare and education in the region.
Abbasi emphasised that Hattian Bala's District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital is ill-equipped to handle the growing number of patients suffering from chronic illnesses, particularly kidney disease.
He noted that while a local philanthropist had donated dialysis machines, the hospital lacks the space and infrastructure to operate a proper dialysis centre, forcing patients to travel to Muzaffarabad, Abbottabad, or even Islamabad for treatment.
"There are currently dozens of patients in the Hattian Bala district of Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) awaiting dialysis," Abbasi said, lamenting that the absence of local facilities has led to needless suffering. "The government must immediately establish a dedicated dialysis centre at DHQ Hattian Bala so that poor patients are not forced to travel long distances for basic medical care."
Abbasi also drew attention to the severe educational crisis in the Jhelum Valley, noting that many schools destroyed in the October 8, 2005, earthquake remain in ruins.
He said thousands of children still study "under the open sky" in makeshift classrooms, years after promises of reconstruction were made.
During his visit to one such school, Abbasi observed that nearly 1,000 students continue to attend classes without proper buildings or facilities, highlighting the urgent need for government intervention.
He further demanded that land be acquired for a university campus in the area and that funds be allocated for constructing a permanent building to serve the valley's growing student population. "The people of Jhelum Valley have been waiting for years for basic facilities that others take for granted," Abbasi said.
"It is time the new Prime Minister visited Hattian Bala personally and took concrete measures to improve healthcare, education, and infrastructure." (ANI)