The Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre Peshawar the only specialised facility of its kind in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is operating at a dangerously reduced capacity, with only 40 percent of its nursing workforce available, following the resignation of over 60 percent of nurses and a prolonged delay in finalising recruitments, leaving emergency, ICU, and surgical care in disarray.
Despite being one of the province’s most critical referral facilities, the Centre is witnessing alarming lapses in infection control, insiders revealed. With no dedicated infection control staff present, tasks typically handled by trained professionals are now being carried out by lower-grade workers and in some cases, even security personnel. This has reportedly led to a spike in post-burn infections, adding further complications to already critical cases.
The Intensive Care Unit (ICU), though functional in name, remains without a dedicated ICU medical officer or intensivist two positions deemed essential for managing life-threatening burn injuries. While the hospital has already advertised these positions and conducted tests, officials confirmed that the final merit list has been pending for several months. “Serious patients are suffering in ICU every day because key specialists have not been appointed despite the process being initiated,” said a senior staff member on condition of anonymity.
Nursing shortages remain a central crisis. Only 40 percent of sanctioned nursing positions are currently filled, as over 60 percent of the nurses have resigned many lured abroad by better employment opportunities in countries like Qatar and Kuwait. Although fresh nursing posts have been advertised, recruitment has stalled, worsening the burden on the remaining workforce.
Paramedical staff vacancies are also severe, with nearly half the positions lying vacant. The cumulative shortfall has overwhelmed the limited personnel working in critical departments like dressing rooms, surgical units and post-operative care. Many staff members are working extended hours under intense pressure, yet the quality of patient care continues to decline.
Hospital sources confirmed that no new regular appointments have been made at the Centre in the past three years, and repeated appeals for emergency recruitment have gone unanswered. “Even basic medical attention is delayed because we simply do not have the hands,” one official remarked.
Health professionals and civil society actors have called on the Board of Governors and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department to take immediate corrective measures. “The delay in recruitments both for ICU specialists and nurses is costing lives. This is a matter of public emergency,” warned a senior clinician.
The Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre Peshawar serves as the sole specialised burns hospital in the province, drawing patients from across KP and merged districts. Without immediate action to restore staffing, experts warn that the facility’s already compromised services could collapse entirely, depriving the province of its only dedicated burn care institution
