Health care: Afghans swarm to Peshawar for medical attention

The Express Tribune

Hospitals in Peshawar remain an attractive destination for Afghan patients because of their technological superiority and better-trained medical staff and doctors. Despite higher costs, accommodation problems and a language barrier, patients from across the border continue to trickle in. Most Afghan patients enter Pakistan through the porous Torkham border without any legal documentation or visa, since the process can be lengthy and nerve-wracking. They are limited to two hospitals, the Rehman Medical Institute (RMI) and the North West General Hospital (NWGH) – both minutes away from Khyber Agency. “Certain diseases require advanced technology and qualified doctors, which are not available in many hospitals of Afghanistan. That’s why I decided to come to Peshawar for leg surgery,” said Rohullah, a resident of Jalalabad currently receiving treatment at RMI. Foreign patients are allegedly charged more compared to Pakistanis. In addition to lack of proper accommodation, Afghans say that they are harassed by the police for not carrying legal documents. Rohullah said he borrowed Rs200,000 for treatment and doctors have already charged him Rs60,000 for the surgery. He does not know how much the medicines will cost. Data from the two hospitals shows that 77,000 Afghan patients visited RMI, while over 60,000 visited NWGH in the last ten months. Residents of Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kunduz, among other areas in Afghanistan, come to general physicians, cardiology, gynecology and gastroenterology departments. A resident of Mazar-e-Sharif, Faqir Muhamad is accompanying a patient at NWGH. “While the quality of treatment is good, it is very expensive. We are sleeping on the floor and there are no sheds in the waiting area,” he said. “Charges for the guest houses are so high that we do not leave the hospital premises. Also, police in the surrounding areas recognise us because of our dress and bother us for legal documents,” added Muhammad. Saqib Agha from Kabul fears the police will arrest them for interrogation because he and his relative have no visa or travel documents either. “We have become a source of income for the police as well as for doctors in Peshawar, because we are neither familiar with the language nor the law. Doctors extract large sums of money through laboratory tests, surgery, accommodation and medicines,” complained Agha. He said even translators at NWGH ask for money when they come across patients who speak Persian. RMI’s Manager for Marketing and Panel Affairs, Tanveer Ahmand Sethi said the number of days spent by patients at the hospital depends on the treatment they are receiving. Cardiac procedures can take up to seven days, while some ailments take up to two weeks to treat. “Getting a visa for treatment in Pakistan is a tedious process and takes very long. India, on the other hand has a same-day-visa policy for patients and attendants who wish to visit the country for medical attention,” Sethi said. The hospital cannot provide decent accommodation to attendants of all Afghan patients, clarified Sethi. “Most of them are afraid of the police and so don’t go to guesthouses. In some cases, attendants are fleeced of all the money they have, leaving them penniless in a foreign country,” he added. A marketing official from NWGH said they receive more Afghan patients than Pakistanis. Upon arrival, we charge them fees for two days which can range from Rs30,000 to Rs50,000. When that amount is spent, we ask attendants to pay more for further treatment,” he added.