41% posts vacant in THQs across the country: FAFEN

Situation better in terms of availability of physical facilities.

ISLAMABAD:

Around 41 per cent of the posts in Tehsil Headquarter Hospitals (THQs) across the country are lying vacant, according to a report published by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).

The report, which measures statistics of 72 THQs from Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) from the August-October 2012 quarter, states that only 777 of the 1,329 positions in the hospitals are occupied. The lowest occupancy rate of 47% was recorded in THQs in Sindh, followed by 51% in K-P, 62% in Balochistan, 68 per cent in Punjab and 69% in Fata, the report adds.

The report states that male medical officers have the highest occupancy rate, while for specialised medical staff such as anaesthetics, physicians, ENT specialists and dermatologists the rate is below 40%. Job categories with high occupancy rates include paramedical staff with 85%, administrative with 78% and support staff with 89%, the report adds.



The situation is better in terms of availability of physical facilities at the hospitals, with 97% of the THQs equipped having labour, dental and x-ray rooms; 86% with operation rooms and 99% with laboratories. Similarly, medico-legal services are available at 93% of the hospitals and 82% had wards for outpatients. However, ophthalmology rooms were lacking in 50% of the monitored hospitals.

The report states that except for one THQ in Punjab, all other hospitals had functional ambulances and free medicines were available at their in-house pharmacies.

As for general facilities, all THQs were connected via proper roads; 89% had proper buildings, 97% had boundary walls and 96% were clean.

All the THQs had electricity, with 99% having fans, but 69% lacked gas connections. Moreover, 97% units provided proper waiting areas for patients and 90% had washrooms with running water. Conversely, 15% made no arrangements for drinking water.

The monitored THQs referred 1,758 patients to DHQ hospitals: there were 1,001 referrals by 30 THQs from Punjab, 423 referrals by 12 THQs from K-P), 250 referrals from 15 THQs from Sindh, 67 referrals from five THQs from Balochistan and 17 referrals from two THQs from Fata.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2012.