Doctors claim expenditure will far exceed allocated budget. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Little progress has been made in the health sector, which the PTI had promised to ‘transform’ in its first 90 days in power.
With the much-hyped deadline behind them, health experts and senior officials of Peshawar’s largest public hospitals argue precious little has been done in practical terms and hospitals are yet to witness any change.
“The paradigm will shift towards preventive healthcare through action and awareness on the water and sanitation crisis, food and drug adulteration, polio, hepatitis, tuberculosis, healthy diet and lifestyle,” stated the PTI manifesto. It also advocated complete decentralisation and de-politicisation of health governance along with an increase in public health funding from 0.8 % to 2.6 % of the GDP.
K-P Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai has, on separate occasions, announced several major changes to the health sector. These included free treatment in all state-run hospitals from August 15 onwards and recruitment of doctors, paramedics and nurses on ad hoc basis from August 16 to overcome staff shortage.
The government had also set up working groups to implement changes in the health sector. The groups comprised not just government officials, but journalists and civil society members as well.
In the provincial budget, the government had allocated Rs1 billion to provide free treatment along with medicines to patients visiting state-run hospitals. However, health experts believe the amount is not sufficient as expenditure would exceed Rs1 billion.
Furthermore, senior healthcare providers maintain the government had only announced free treatment for those visiting outpatient departments (OPDs); those admitted in hospitals were not included as beneficiaries of free treatment.
Khyber Teaching Hospital Chief Executive Umer Ayub told The Express Tribune the hospital’s condition had improved to some extent.
“We have recruited doctors and now the number of doctors on duty in the casualty ward has increased from three to five. Medicines are being provided for free and other facilities have been improved as well,” said Ayub. He added awareness programmes about various diseases will be initiated soon, but reiterated 90 days was not enough time to bring major improvements in the hospital.
On the other hand, a senior official at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) requesting anonymity claimed there was no improvement in the hospital’s operations. He said free treatment in the emergency ward is nothing new and was standard practice even before the current government took charge. “Given the present circumstances, providing free treatment in government-run hospitals will remain a dream. It is impossible to serve such a huge number of patients.”
The official maintained LRH was indeed providing free 24-hour emergency services, but medicines and OPD charges had to be paid for.
Meanwhile, a senior official at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), also wishing not to be named, said the hospital was functioning as per routine and no changes had occurred in the 90 days.
“The only change we saw was in Ramazan when free food was served to patients at the hospital,” he remarked. “A management committee was established by the government, however, not a single meeting has been held and no positive steps have been taken to improve this hospital’s condition.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 31st, 2013.
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