At least 29 children have died in the Kurram district due to a severe medicine shortage, worsened by prolonged road closures.
Dr. Syed Mir Hassan Jan, medical superintendent at District Headquarters Hospital Parachinar, reported that since October 1, the hospital has struggled to provide adequate care. This is due to a lack of essential medicines and basic healthcare resources.
In addition to the children, several other patients have died lacking surgical services. Dr. Jan highlighted an escalating healthcare crisis, urging immediate action to replenish medical supplies and services.
He explained that the hospital received some medicine stocks from the Health Directorate Peshawar, but they were insufficient. Recent area clashes had heavily depleted the hospital’s medical and surgical supplies, leading to inevitable shortages.
The hospital is experiencing an acute shortage of medicines, and urgent humanitarian intervention is needed. The statement noted that these 29 children died from October 1, 2024, to the present. It also pointed out that medicine suppliers could not deliver to Parachinar due to the closure of the main Thall-Parachinar Road.
Road closures, lasting 69 days, have severely limited access to essential goods in Parachinar and Upper Kurram. With main roads and the Afghan border sealed, the area faces critical food, fuel, cooking gas, and medicines shortages, leaving the local population in severe hardship.
Social activist Asadullah warned of a potential large-scale humanitarian disaster if the Afghan border and main highways remain closed. He called for immediate food assistance to those affected, noting that roadblocks worsen their hardship.
Local authorities are seeking solutions through dialogue. The district administration plans to reconvene a grand jirga, initially postponed in Kohat, to address these issues and work toward reopening the main highways.
