Kidney disease patients rue govt inattention

Provincial health department has not released funds for free medication for the past five months

PESHAWAR:

Having made multiple long trips to the provincial capital from his home in Dir in the past five months, Asghar Khan, has finally given up hope of receiving his free kidney disease medicines. The 35-year-old Asghar’s hopes were crushed after his most recent seven hour journey, at the end of which he was turned away by the hospital, who told him that the government had stopped providing free medicines for now.

“For one visit from Dir to Peshawar, I spend more than Rs 20,000 only to come here and find out that my medicines are not available,” a visibly frustrated Asghar lamented whilst talking to the Express Tribune. Asghar’s not alone in his plight, as 1,200 patients across the province registered with the Institute of Kidney Diseases (IKD) in Hayatabad, Peshawar, are similarly frustrated. Another patient, hailing from Malakand, Junaid Khan, who has to travel two hours for the medicine, informed the Express Tribune that because of the lack of medicines many including him were in dire straits.

“The government has acted highly irresponsibly,” Junaid declared. He further added that it was a travesty that despite patients protesting numerous times, their pleadings had fallen on deaf ears. “We also gathered at the Peshawar Press Club and demanded immediate access to medicines on which our life depends but to no avail.” Presently, it seems as if there will not be an end to Junaid’s suffering anytime soon, as sources at the IKD, privy with the matter, said that the centre had been sending letters to the provincial health department since February but no funds had been released nor had any other action been taken.

Deputy Director of the IKD, Dr Riaz Hussain, when asked for a confirmation regarding the requests for funds, said that it was true that it had been months that the health department had not gotten back to their letters. “The government released Rs 30 million for the medicines in December of last year whereas our need is Rs 122.5 million. They have deprived the 1,200 patients who were benefiting from the free medicines that we provided,” Dr Riaz informed, adding that the patients were severely suffering. Minister for Health, Taimoor Khan Jhagra, when the government planned on ending the prolonged suffering of the kidney disease patients, terming the matter as serious, said that the Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has taken notice of it.

“The CM met officials of the health department and IKD to tell them to solve the matter expeditiously.” After the CM’s instructions it was decided to increase the budget of the IKD from Rs 604 million to Rs 1.23 billion, as per Taimoor. However, when asked as to when this budget increase would result in helping the protesting patients, the Health Minister did not provide a definite timeline. “We will release Rs 200 million for the patients and directions have been issued to the IKD to prepare a list of the needy and poor so that the medicines can reach them as soon as possible,” Taimoor told The Express Tribune.