Principal requests authorities to increase funding

Says hospital’s data is proof of its excellent services to humanity

RAHIM YAR KHAN: Sheikh Zayed Medical College Rahim Yar Khan Principal Prof Dr Mubarak Ali has requested the federal echelons to increase the grant to the hospital. He said that keeping in view its services to the people of widespread areas adjacent to Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, the fixed grant being provided to this institution for the last 20 years was insufficient, he added.

A meeting was held at Sheikh Zayed Medical College to address the issue of the lack of funds and improve the quality of services being provided at the hospital.

According to a hospital official, funds do come from the government, but were not enough to maintain the running costs of the hospital.

The hospital is a tertiary care teaching unit with 954 beds. It catered to all the healthcare needs of not only the people of Rahim Yar Khan and its adjacent districts, but also to the people of Sindh and Balochistan.

Almost 30% of the patients visiting this hospital with different health problems belonged to Sindh and Balochistan.

All patients visiting this hospital were looked after with utmost care and were being treated with modern diagnostic and therapeutic facilities. All poor patients were provided free treatment facilities and a small proportion of patients were paying nominal charges at this hospital. In 2017, about 2.25 million patients visited OPD and among them 250,000 were admitted. About 22,000 patients availed the free facility of dialysis and 12,000 deliveries had been conducted. The total lab tests of different diseases of the patients, performed in the modern Path Lab of this hospital, were more than 1.5 million. Almost 2,660 cardiac procedures including angiography, angioplasty and bypass surgeries were performed. The microscopic and laparoscopic surgery, joint replacement and reunion of amputated parts were also being performed.

Ali said that these figures were proof of the excellent services and performance provided to humanity by this hospital. “We are striving hard to improve our services for the patients visiting this hospital,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2018.