Desperate times: Patients in a fix over lack of facilities in hospitals

Saidu Sharif Group of Hospitals lacking basic medical equipment.

SWAT:

Patients visiting the Saidu Group of Hospitals are facing a host of problems. They complain about lack of medical equipment and inadequate health facilities at the hospitals, which once provided free-of-charge treatment to patients not only from Swat District but also from Shangla and Buner districts. But that was before the merger of the state with Pakistan in 1969.

On a recent visit to the hospitals, which were constructed by the last ruler of Swat, a number of complaints came to the fore.

“The doctor prescribed me a blood test but I was told that the hospital does not have syringes. Out of compulsion, I had to consult a private laboratory,” said Saeed Ahmed, who had come from Galoch village of Kabal Tehsil. “What is the point of coming to a government hospital if it does not have such basic equipment?” he asked.

Zahoor Khan, who had come for an X-ray scan, was disappointed after being told that there were no X-ray films available at the hospital. “I have to leave without getting a scan as I cannot afford to get one from a private laboratory,” he lamented.

Meraja Bibi from Shrepalam village of Matta Tehsil, was suffering from kidney pain but was turned away without being treated. “The hospital staff asked me to get an X-ray from elsewhere but I don’t have any money for that so they told me to go back,” said Bibi. “I borrow money to pay for the transport fare to the hospital, I don’t have money for an x-ray,” she lamented.

Meanwhile, some patients seemed sceptical about their diagnosis at the hospital. “I was shocked when the doctor told me that I have Hepatitis C after conducting a laboratory test. To get a second opinion, I went to a private laboratory where test results revealed that I did not have the disease,” said Iqbal Mand, a student.

The condition of the hospital wards is no better, poor hygiene being a key issue. “Two or three children are sharing one bed in every ward. There are heaps of litter everywhere,” said a woman who was attending her son. She added that the janitor comes only once in the morning and nobody sweeps the floor after that, which leads to a pungent odour in the wards.

The medical superintendant could not be reached despite several attempts.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2012.