A medical student recently shared her experience regarding the behaviour of doctors at state-run hospitals in Quetta. Though they are adequately paid by the government, many of them focus more on their work in private hospitals instead of state-run ones.
“Many have taken or stolen drugs, including life-saving drugs, and used them for their private medical practices rather than using them at state-run hospitals,” she alleges. A single visit to any state-run hospital in Quetta makes it obvious that her statement is correct.
The Quetta valley is situated in an ideal place for doctors to mint money in the millions within a one-year time period or even less. Patients not only visit doctors here frequently from remote areas of Balochistan but also from Afghanistan and Iran. There are more than 20 private hospitals on Zarghoon Road where traffic jams are a routine occurrence. All the hospitals are always packed with patients — a huge majority from Afghanistan. Despite all of this, there is no proper arrangement for disposing of the garbage and the dangerous waste generated by hospitals.
Doctors employed by the government do not perform their duties in the remote districts of Balochistan as they cannot earn large sums of money there. I am not sure about the state of affairs in other provinces, but here in Quetta, doctors behave more like butchers. They view patients at state-run hospitals as a burden and do not bother to even properly investigate their medical histories. On the other hand, at their private clinics, patients receive special treatment.
Doctors often do not admit patients until they have paid the required amount of money. Moreover, the medicines they prescribe are often of the kind that can only be bought at medical stores run by the doctors themselves.
This is also the reason why doctors in their dozens have been kidnapped for ransom money. I am not justifying or encouraging the kidnapping of doctors in any way; I am simply trying to highlight a very important issue.
The recent steps taken by the health department in Balochistan deserve appreciation as all doctors have been directed to ensure their presence at government hospitals. Around 18 doctors have been suspended so far for not showing up. I hope the provincial health secretary will continue his efforts and take measures to improve the state of healthcare facilities in Balochistan, which is still in precarious condition.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2015.
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