Medicine supply at Civil hospital comes to a halt

Despite Rs80b budget, patients allegedly being told to purchase medicine

KARACHI: The suspension in the procurement of medicine at Sindh’s largest teaching hospital, Civil Hospital, Karachi, has left patients to suffer.

The financial authority to purchase medicine is in the hands of the hospital’s doctors rather than its administration. Similarly, a shift in power from the hospital’s medical superintendent to cronies of health department officials has contributed to the disruption of activities at the hospital.

There is an absence of working staff at the hospital such asX-ray technicians, ward boys, nursing staff, paramedics and others. According to reports, patients being operated upon for fractures are told to purchase surgical aids and plates from outside, due to which several patients resorted to protests.

Despite the provision of 15% local purchasing budget and allocation of over Rs80 billion, patients continue to suffer at the hands of the hospital management. The administrative head dismisses any plea submitted regarding the matter, attributing the lack of financial power as the cause of the crisis at the institute.



The central medicine procurement committee ensures transparency in its standard procurement methods. Cost prices of medicines are usually shared with selected companies and, after the release order is issued, consignments received by the companies need to be delivered within 60 days. The Sindh government talks about ensuring supply of medicine and allocating a big share of the Zakat funds for this purpose, but this is far from reality, said a source.

Senior officials in the health department misuse funds, resulting in the dearth of medicines at the hospital. The hospital has been facing an acute shortage of medicine for the past six months but no action has been taken by the committee. One of the members of the committee said that tenders are near completion and soon medicine will be supplied to the hospital.

Several non-governmental organisations have been operating at the hospital and many continue to collect funds in the name of donations, which remains unchecked by any authority.



Since 2007, no hiring has been undertaken at the hospital, leading to numerous vacancies in several departments. Bio-medical instruments at the hospital are obsolete and the budget allocated for revamping the hospital was misused. The hospital staff has requested the National Accountability Bureau to take notice of the corruption and medicine procurement and take action against those responsible.