Gilgit Baltistan, Mar 08: Access to health care is a basic human right, but people of Gilgit Baltistan have been deprived of it for several decades. The government hospitals in the region make a mockery of the health care as basic machinery and medical professionals are missing. It has been 68 years since Pakistan occupied the region forcibly against the will of the people. And successive governments continue to pay lip service to the health care, forcing people to opt for costly private treatment. Ironically, not many people can afford private treatment, risking their lives. If poor medical services are not enough, the region is grappling with a severe shortage of potable water. As a result, people are battling several waterborne diseases. In the absence of an effective sewage system and treatment plants, waste is directly emptied into surface water bodies from where the drinking water is sourced, leading to severe water contamination. Today, when other countries are improving the health sector by introducing latest technologies, people of Gilgit Baltistan lack basic medical facilities because of the negligence of authorities in the region. The people of Gilgit Baltistan continue to suffer due to the inability of the government to develop medical infrastructure of the region.
