PESHAWAR: Government hospitals in 16 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts face acute scarcity of essential pentavalent vaccines, raising concerns about public health safety.
These vaccines, which protect against diseases like diphtheria, jaundice, tetanus, and pertussis, are completely depleted in government hospitals in districts such as Tank, Abbottabad, Haripur, Mansehra, and Battagram, as reported by the Health Department. This scarcity extends to other regions including Torghar, Kohistan, Kohat, Bajaur, Malakand, Charsadda, Mohmand, and Chitral, posing significant challenges to immunization efforts.
Even in South Waziristan, a shocking 42 percent of government hospitals are without pentavalent vaccine stocks. Likewise, the shortage of the vaccination has been reported by 37 hospitals in North Waziristan and 25 hospitals in Bannu. According to Health Department data, the situation in Kolai-Palas district is also concerning, with 14 percent of its hospitals unable to access pentavalent vaccines.
In response to this crisis, the Health Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has issued directives to all districts, urging immediate actions to ensure the availability of vaccines and mitigate further public health risks.
