Four-in-one: KTH children’s ward struggles with shortage of beds

Doctors forced to accommodate three to four patients on the same bed.

PESHAWAR: A shortage of beds in the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) paediatric unit has forced staff to resort to doubling – a common practice in government hospitals where patients have to share beds. At KTH, three to four patients are accommodated on one bed, increasing the risk of contagion.

A first of its kind in the province, the 38-bed unit was set up in 1976 to provide tertiary care to children aged one month to 15 years. In 1990, the ward was extended to 52 beds, split across two sections.

However, its efficiency gradually declined due to a shortage of doctors, nurses, and space. The unit receives patients from across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).



Paediatric Unit Senior Registrar Dr Hamid Bangash told The Express Tribune 48% of K-P’s population comprises children, between the ages of one month and 15 years. He added 57 out of 1,000 children in K-P and Fata die in their first month. This number could have been reduced to 40 by 2015, if the United Nations Millennium Development Goals were implemented, claimed Dr Bangash.

However, in light of available facilities, Dr Bangash feared this might not be possible. Due to an unabated population boom, the hospital’s resources are just not sufficient for the large number of patients.

The turnover

Twenty to 25 children are admitted to the unit on a daily basis, said Dr Bangash. Children are kept for at least a fortnight. This means the hospital is compelled to accommodate three or four on a single bed.

The doctor explained children are more vulnerable as a population, and can be easily infected by other patients using the same bed. He demanded the K-P government establish a new ward for children at KTH, which provides, at the very least, the basics.

KTH Malgari Doctoran President Dr Adil Shah Roghani said they had complained to the authorities numerous times to increase the number of beds in the ward but to no avail.

When contacted, KTH Chief Executive Inayat Shah Roghani admitted the paediatric ward was overburdened and said in the next institute management council meeting, the issue would be highlighted. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure basic treatment facilities for everyone, said Roghani.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2013.