Health sector sinks deeper into crisis

Gynaecological patients share bed at HFH; critical vaccines vanish from hospital

RAWALPINDI:

The outgoing year 2025 has also proven to be extremely challenging for Rawalpindi's health sector.

Despite the redesign and upgradation of Holy Family Hospital at a cost of billions of rupees, a severe crisis persists in its gynecology ward, where even today two maternity patients are being accommodated on a single bed due to an acute shortage of beds.

For the past 15 years, a fully constructed 500-bed Mother and Child Hospital building, completed at a cost of Rs7 billion, has been left abandoned and turned into ruins.

At present, Rawalpindi district has three major allied hospitals — Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, and District Headquarters Teaching Hospital. Additionally, there are four Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals located in Kahuta, Kallar Syedan, Gujar Khan, and Taxila.

Across the district, there are 104 dispensaries, 71 Basic Health Units, 10 Rural Health Centres, 27 sold Basic Health Units now operating under the name of Maryam Nawaz Clinics, and 20 Clinic-on-Wheels units.

However, none of these hospitals, THQs, or medical centres have vaccines or injections available for dog bites or snake bites.

In all three major allied hospitals, patients are now being given waiting times of three to six months for serious surgeries. Hospitals and medical centres are facing shortages of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff. Dialysis services are also not being provided in a timely manner.

None of the hospitals have proper arrangements, as per environmental standards, for the disposal of hazardous hospital waste.

Daily patient turnout at allied hospitals ranges between 6,000 and 8,000. Complaints regarding shortages of furniture and laboratory items have become routine.

Conditions at the sold Maryam Nawaz Basic Health Units are reported to be the worst, with acute shortages of doctors, staff, and life-saving medicines.

Holy Family Hospital receives the highest number of maternity patients, but due to a lack of beds in the gynaecology ward, two women are now being placed on a single bed.

The presence of attendants from both patients creates overcrowding, completely compromising medical privacy. Families of patients Fareed Ali Shahbaz and Zeenat Satti said that when a sick woman was placed on the same bed as their patient, her mother immediately discharged her daughter due to the non-availability of a single bed.

They expressed serious concern and complained that male staff members also enter the gynaecology ward.

They demanded strict enforcement of discipline in the gynaecology ward, an increase in the number of beds, or temporary arrangements such as placing mattresses on the floor. The 500-bed Mother and Child Hospital, comprising 13 operation theatres, remains non-functional, with its completed building turning into a haunted structure.

Drug addicts have reportedly stolen iron windows, doors, and covers from the facility. The demand has been raised for an immediate increase in hospital funding. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi said that a healthcare revolution is underway in Rawalpindi.