Waiting for a cure: Caught in the throes of neglect

Govt Mental and General Hospital Dadar lacks basic facilities in spite of adequate funding

MANSEHRA:

For those who have witnessed its gradual deterioration, Government Mental and General Hospital Dadar in Mansehra is a glaring example of how healthcare in the province has been brushed under the carpet.

Caught in the throes of neglect, the facility is in a state of disrepair and offers limited health services.

The building which houses the facility is over 75 years old and was previously a TB sanatorium. With time, the story of the hospital’s decline has been etched on its decrepit walls. Heavy rain in 2002 and the earthquake which rocked the northern parts of the country in 2005 have left the building in a dilapidated condition. A vast portion of the facility was partially damaged and little has been done to alter the hospital’s condition.

Amid setbacks

The problem does not end with the building’s deteriorating condition. A quick visit to the hospital shows the deplorable condition it is in.

A visit to the hospital shows the deplorable condition it is in. PHOTOS: SYED NOMAN SHAH

The facility has two portions – one for patients suffering from mental illnesses and the other for general patients. Two wards allocated for psychiatric patients have the capacity to house 100 patients while the general patients’ wards have the capacity to house 50 patients.

However, a large number of hospital beds have been kept in the storeroom. There are only 25 beds in the general patients ward and only six each in the other two wards. This is particularly worrying as 75 to 80 patients are admitted at the psychiatric ward every month. Official records show no patient has been admitted in the general patients’ wards in the last 10 years.

Staff members claim there have been no psychiatrists at the hospital for three years and patients are usually treated by general practitioners.

“The hospital administration has repeatedly failed to provide them with proper treatment and diet,” the relative of a patient told The Express Tribune.

A hospital official said there is a lack of basic facilities at Government Mental and General Hospital Dadar.

“A budget of millions of rupees is set aside to pay employee salaries and provide medicines, yet there are no emergency facilities for patients after 2pm,” he said. “We are compelled to refer patients to King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, Mansehra which is almost 30 kilometres away from Dadar.”

Where have all the people gone?

Three medical officers and a medical superintendent are posted at the facility. However, one of the medical officers has not come to work in nearly two years while the other two visit the hospital twice a week.

A visit to the hospital shows the deplorable condition it is in. PHOTOS: SYED NOMAN SHAH

The medical superintendent is the only official who remains on duty from morning until 2pm. He examines over 100 patients every day from the outpatient department.

Seven posts for doctors, including one for a psychiatrist, have remained vacant for many years now, said hospital officials. A large number of paramedics and nurses also do not take their responsibilities at the hospital seriously. Insiders said that in the absence of an effective system to monitor their activities, nursing and paramedic staff visit the hospital only twice a month.

“During the day, only six to eight people are on duty while in the evening only four or five paramedics and nurses come to work,” another hospital official said. “The rest of them just collect their salaries at the end of the month and rarely turn up.” He added many employees enjoy significant political backing and it is therefore difficult for locals to take action against them.

A medical bane

Government Mental and General Hospital Dadar is meant to cater to the health needs of nearly 40,000 residents. However, the facility has repeatedly caused inconveniences to them. “Under these circumstances, we have no option but to visit a private hospital,” Tayab Khan, a resident, told The Express Tribune.

Downward spiral

The hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Shamsul Haq has admitted to the lack of facilities at the hospital. “There is no psychiatrist at the hospital for the last three years and the facility has been running short of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff,” he said. “I have written to the relevant authorities against them. However, no concrete steps have been taken as yet.”

According to Haq, Rs5 million is allocated to ensure the provision of a proper diet to patients and Rs3 million has been set aside for medicines every year. “The hospital’s total budget, after we include the salaries paid to employees, amounts to over Rs50 million,” he added. “Yet the situation at the facility remains abysmal.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 30^th, 2015.