Patients’ lives at risk as BMTC doctors’ contracts not renewed

ISLAMABAD: Lives of more than 500 children affected by thalassemia are at risk as the ministry of health has refused to extend contracts of doctors and staff in Bone Marrow Transplant Centre (BMTC) of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

Three doctors and nine other employees are deprived of salaries for past three months while they were not regularised even after clear orders by Supreme Court (SC).

All tests of more than 500 children affected by thalassemia have been completed but the bone marrow transplant procedure has stopped due to ministry’s apathy. Pakistan Baitul Mal would bear all expenses of these operations at Pims, whereas, the same procedure would cost more than Rs3 million at a private healthcare facility.

The parents said that they live and die every day while their children could lose their lives if blood transfusion was not done. They expressed that they had to plead to relatives and friends to donate blood. The parents said that bone marrow transplant was the only way to get rid of the disease.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd, 2019.