Deplorable hospitals

Letter October 25, 2021
Deplorable hospitals

KARACHI:

Hospitals are crucial for any community because they promote good health, raise awareness about health issues, offer curative care, and inform people of prevention measures for diseases. However, if you ever visit the hospitals in interior Sindh, you will lose faith in the aforementioned ideas.

Given the deplorable state of most of the hospitals, it is difficult to imagine that these are modern-day hospitals in the era of science and technology. Most hospitals lack the infrastructure required for medical assistance — items such as wheelchairs and stretchers are in a poor condition, which can hardly be used. Even oxygen masks are shifted from one patient to another demonstrating a violation of the basic code of ethics in medical care. Most hospitals are short-staffed and do not have pharmacies within the hospital premises.

The doctors appear to have forgotten the Hippocratic oath as most of them remain unconcerned about the issues facing the patients. The relevant authorities including the health department must consider reforming the hospitals in interior Sindh and devise a feasible plan to ensure that the hospitals are equipped with adequate staff and facilities for the future.

Sajjad Hussain

Sindh

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2021.

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