Courting death

As the heat rises, so do the cases of gastroenteritis — with doctors at Lahore’s public sector teaching hospitals stating that 40 per cent of patients coming into emergency wards are suffering from the ailment. It is far from certain if going to a hospital helps these persons very much. According to a report in this publication, many of the hospitals do not have medicines to treat these severely sick patients; some lack even the IV bags and fluids considered a crucial part of treatment to prevent dehydration, which can lead to kidney failure. Those coming in are being asked to acquire these items themselves, while high heat in emergency departments, as a result of power cuts, adds to the suffering of those stricken by the ailment.

The severe shortage of medication and basic equipment is said to have been created by a dearth of funds. Senior doctors say the health department has told them none can be released till the next budget, though a health department official maintained that most hospitals had adequate supplies and more could be purchased in an emergency situation. On the ground, this does not appear to be the reality.

The situation is a symptom of a deeper malaise — one that cripples our health system and denies people the care they need. Pakistan currently spends less than one per cent of its GDP on health. The system is also wracked by corruption, with a recent report published by the UK-based medical journal, The Lancet, highlighting this. The result is terrible suffering for people — notably the poor who most often turn to government-run hospitals. In many cases, they simply do not receive the care they need and the recent gastroenteritis epidemic reported from Lahore simply highlights how grim things are. Making basic needs available to all citizens must become a government priority if things are to change and improved health care made accessible to the millions, so that both doctors and patients can be spared the kind of hardships they currently face in Lahore’s hospitals.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2013.