Health woes: Allied hospitals making do with no money

After the 2010 floods, no official funds have been allocated for the three hospitals of Rawalpindi.

RAWALPINDI:

Ban on provision of funds for repair and maintenance work at the three allied hospitals in Rawalpindi is causing difficulties for their administrations. They are finding it hard to make things work.

Interviews with officials in the three hospitals revealed that the provincial government stopped provision of funds after floods wrecked havoc in Punjab last summer.

It has been almost a year since funds were allocated to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), Holy Family Hospital (HFH) and District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ). Their administrations are having a difficult time in meeting the basic requirements such as provision of stationary and upkeep of cleanliness.

A senior official in the management of BBH confided that many air conditioners at the hospitals had broken down, but they do not have the money to get them repaired.

Another senior doctor at HFH said, “A few days ago we ran out of film for the X-ray machine. The administration had to pay for it from the emergency funds.”

The provincial government has placed a ban on the purchase of all kinds of equipment, except for medicines and emergency provisions, official sources said.

In a recent incident at HFH, the intensive care unit of the hospital was badly damaged when the relatives of a patient who died of heart attack ransacked the facility.

The administration of the HFH had to submit a special request for obtaining Rs4 million for the repair of the emergency facility.

Furthermore, the hospital officials, especially the doctors, are now concerned over the lack of proper security arrangements at the three hospitals.

A doctor serving at DHQ said some seven months ago, security guards of a private company were withdrawn because the hospital could not afford to pay for their services any more.

“Security at the hospitals is a primary concern of the doctors. The situation is more precarious after the HFH incident last month,” said Dr Junaid Abbasi, a representative of the Young Doctors Association.

The poor security in the three hospitals could lead to more mishaps, the doctor added.

Dr Zaman Khan Niazi, Medical Superintendent (MS) BBH, said the ban had not created much problems for his hospital and they have been able to carry out repair and maintenance work routinely.

The MS however hoped that the ban might be lifted in the next fiscal year, which will make it “a lot easier” for the hospitals to meet their basic necessities.

The MS of HFH, the biggest hospitals of the three, was not immediately available for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9th, 2011.