THIS is apropos articles ‘Frozen in time’ (June12) and ‘Why were hospitals better in Pakistan during colonial times’ (Aug7) by Dr Shershah Syed.

The writer has well-presented the view of health services which were inherited from the colonial government.

Apparently, it was a curative-based health delivery system established in cities like Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar, with little coverage for rural regions.

It was unfortunate that our successive health planners did not pay heed to the recommendations of the Bhore Committee.

Instead, they focussed on preparing a flawed health delivery system which benefited the urban population more than it did the rural one. This is the pivotal reason for the tertiary-care hospitals in cities being overcrowded and burdened.

Basic health units and rural health centres should be properly organised and affiliated with major tertiary hospitals and medical colleges. All post-graduate students should be paid for working in these centres on the basis of rotation under the supervision of specialists.

Dr Habib ur Rehman Soomro
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2016