Delayed services: Patients still await free medicines at govt hospitals

Though Rs1 billion has been released, officials are not yet authorised to spend it.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Health Department released Rs1 billion to government hospitals on August 29, but patients complain they are still deprived of free treatment.

Documents available with The Express Tribune reveal Rs50 million was released to Lady Reading Hospital, Rs50 million to Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), Rs50 million to Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC); Rs40 million to Mardan Medical Complex; Rs40 million to Saidu Group of Teaching Hospitals, Swat. Moreover, Rs30.7 million was released to District Headquarters Hospitals (DHQ) of Charsadda, Buner, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Upper Dir, Chitral, Malakand and Tank. Rs25 million was released to DHQ DI Khan, Rs23.2 million to DHQ Karak and Rs20 million to DHQ Swabi among others.

A senior doctor at KTH explained Rs50 million has been transferred to the hospital account, but the health department has instructed hospital authorities they are not authorised to spend on medicines until they have been provided with a guideline from the department.

Azeem Khan, a patient, said he got the usual Rs10 chit from the outpatient department (OPD) and then purchased the medicines from the pharmacy. “The government has announced a free service, but the patients are still purchasing medicines. Nothing has changed in the hospital,” he complained.

An official at HMC wishing to remain anonymous said free medicines are given to patients in the event of an emergency, but majority of the medicines are not available in the hospital’s pharmacy. He said the HMC chief executive will hold a meeting with Institutional Management Council (IMC) members on Saturday. He said this will be an introductory meeting and another meeting will be held before Eidul Azha in which the IMC members will decide on policies, including free medicines.

When asked to comment, Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said the new health policy of K-P would be announced very soon and hopefully solve 80% of the province’s health problems.

According to Yousafzai, the policy will be aimed at revamping the health sector and restoring the confidence of people in government hospitals.

He confirmed hospital authorities will be given a proper guideline to use this amount, without which they are not authorised to spend it.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2013.