Sobhraj Maternity Hospital faces shortage of anesthesiologists

Paediatric unit of the hospital has also been closed due to shortage of paediatricians

KARACHI: Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, one of the major hospitals working under Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, has been facing an acute shortage of anesthesiologists for several months.

The health facility, situated in the Urdu Bazaar area of the city, does not have an anesthesiologist available for the evening and night shifts, which is affecting the operation theatre's activities during the mentioned shifts. The hospital administration has been forced to hire a private anesthesiologist to run its operation theatre during these shifts. Moreover, there is only one anesthesiologist available during the morning shift.

Meanwhile, the hospital has had to close its paediatric unit due to a shortage of pediatricians. The nursery of the hospital is in poor shape, with newborns in critical condition having to be shifted to nearby hospitals due to a dearth of ventilators and other facilities.

Moreover, several positions of nurses are also lying vacant; there are only 15 nurses serving in the hospital.

As many as 2,500 patients visit the hospital's out-patient department on a daily basis, while 25 to 30 deliveries are being performed each day. Furthermore, at least 30 patients are admitted in the public health facility every day.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2019.