Patients suffer from lack of facilities

People complain they have to wait for hours as rooms of the outdoor ward are always full

RAHIM YAR KHAN: Thousands of patients visiting Sheikh Zayed Hospital are facing a host of problems. They complain about a lack of medical equipment, inadequate space and absence of proper health facilities at the hospital. A recent visit by Express News revealed that around 9,000 patients arrive at Sheikh Zayed Hospital from four tehsils of Rahim Yar Khan and eight districts of Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab. The areas include Sui, Dera Bugti, Kashmor, Ghotki, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kandhkot, Bakhshapur, Rajanpur and Muzafargarh.



Sources said that the hospital administration is facing tremendous difficulties as a large number of patients visit the health facility on a daily basis. Besides, they revealed that the lack of doctors, medical staff and funds have aggravated the situation. In addition, lack of computer operators at the outdoor slip counter has also added to their misery. Most patients complained that the rooms of the outdoor ward  were always full and they have to wait for hours in the scorching heat for a slip and medication. They said those who did not have resources to meet the expenses of private clinics were left to face the hardships.

While speaking to Express News, Sheikh Zayed Medical College and Hospital Principal Prof Dr Mubarak Chaudhry said the premises is equipped with all the medical facilities and caters to more than 8,000 patients daily. “There are 26 rooms in OPD building which include departments of heart diseases, maternal and child, general wards, orthopedic, homoeopathic, neurosurgery and others.” He added that all the departments consist of professors, assistant professors, doctors and medical staff that provide treatment and serve patients. He maintained that the hospital provides free checkups, tests and medicines to outdoor patients.

He elaborated that since most of the patients brought are in critical condition and cannot be turned away, the staff has to accommodate them at all costs despite a shortage of manpower and other facilities. “Most patients come from Rahim Yar Khan and various districts of Sindh and Punjab. We are providing them best facilities in limited resources.”