MULTAN - Ramzan's 14th birthday is around the corner. But it's not just his birthday that is coming nearer, the death is also inching towards him. He has undergone over 325 kidney dialyses so far and the doctors fear that this treatment is not going to keep him alive anymore.
The poor boy was brought to Children Complex Hospital Multan with chronic renal failure and put on kidney dialysis four years ago. The doctors told his elder brother Asif that the only way to keep Ramzan alive was to get another kidney transplanted to his body.
"We're seeing him inching towards his death but we can't do anything. We can arrange a donor to donate kidney but the snag is that kidney transplant facility is not available at this hospital or any other hospital of South Punjab," lamented a gloomy Asif while talking to The Nation.
If not transplanted a kidney, poor Ramzan, a fifth grader when admitted to the hospital, is also going to meet the same fate, over 200 kids brought to the hospital with renal failure during the last four years have already met.
Hospital sources revealed that a total of 265 kids were brought to the Children Complex Hospital with renal failure between the years 2011 and 2015 out of which just 25 were currently alive.
The Children Complex Hospital was planned to have renal and bone marrow transplant facilities besides other sub-speciality services like cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, MRI services, incinerator, rehabilitation centre and laundry at the hospital by the end of financial year 2010-2011 under a two-year 150-bed extension project.
The extension project was launched by the Shahbaz-led Punjab Government in 2008-2009. The initial estimated cost of the project stood at Rs1.36 billion but it jumped up to over Rs1.86 billion with an increase of Rs500 million due to delay in its completion. Despite lapse of over five years, the project is still incomplete because of provincial government's failure in supplying funds needed for the completion of the project.
Being the only kids' hospital in entire South Punjab region, a large number of children from the parts of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, which border with Punjab, also come to Children Complex Multan for treatment.
However, the kids who need to undergo bone marrow and kidney transplant or cardiac surgery are directed to Lahore and Karachi because of absence of these facilities at this hospital.
When contacted for an official comment on the current situation of the project, the political leadership belonging to the ruling PML-N and concerned authorities from Punjab Government exhibited a weird behaviour.
The Advisor to the Chief Minister Punjab on Health Kh Salman Rafiq did not respond to over a dozen phone calls made and text messages sent to his mobile phone by this scribe. Whenever contacted, the secretary of Kh Salman Rafiq assured that "sahib" will call back within 15 minutes but this promise was never fulfilled (for over a week).
The concerned Member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) from PP-197, the constituency the Children Complex Hospital is located in, Haji Ehsan Uddin Qureshi expressed his complete ignorance of the current situation of the project. "I really don't know why this project is still incomplete. It was probably some kind of a fund issue," he added.
It was amazing to learn that the Project Director and Dean of Children Complex Hospital and the Institute of Child Health Multan Dr Mukhtar Hussain was also unaware of the funding details. "Yes I also have the charge of this project, but I cannot give you the exact details of funding we received for this project," he replied when asked by The Nation that how much funds the provincial government had released so far. He said that the work on the building was still underway and the project may take another year to complete. "If you need details, you may contact Dr. Khurram in purchase department, who will give you the details," the Project Director suggested to this scribe.
When contacted, Dr Khurram refused to give details of funding. "Well, it's confidential. We cannot give you the details of this project," he flatly refused. When his attention was drawn towards presence of The Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, he replied, "Ok! Let me talk the high ups to know how much information we can pass on to you." He confirmed that out of Rs300 million received for the year 2014-15, just Rs80 million could be utilized till end of financial year.
The funding details available with The Nation show that just Rs300 million fund was released by the Punjab Government for the year 2014-15 out of which the project management could utilise only Rs80 million and rest of all funds returned to the government kitty. Similarly, just Rs20 million was released in financial year 2008-2009, Rs181.198 million 2009-2010, Rs114.830 million 2010-2011 and Rs134 million 2011-2012.
Commenting on the prevailing state of affairs, Malik Aamir Dogar, PTI's member of National Assembly from NA-149, the constituency the Children Complex Hospital is located in, said that the issue indicated the priorities of the rulers. "It's the real face of the rulers of Punjab. Kids are being killed by diseases due to incomplete health projects and they are building flyovers and metro projects," he maintained.
He pointed out that the project had to be accomplished by the end of year 2010-2011 and over 200 kids, who died between 2011 and 2015 because of non-availability of just kidney transplant facility in the hospital, could have been saved. "The total number of casualties of kids with different diseases during this four year period could be much higher. The rulers should be asked as to why they failed to provide just Rs. 1.86 billion for this project in seven years while they have released Rs. 9 billion for Multan Metro in just six months," he raised a question.
Talking to The Nation, Shahid Mahmood Ansari, District coordinator of The Child Rights Committee (CRC), a non-profit body working for kids, lamented that the Punjab Government was more interested in constructing flyovers than saving the lives of kids.
"The way the funds are being released for this very important project shows that the Punjab Government itself makes mockery of its claims regarding its so-called interest in the uplift of South Punjab," he added.
Analysing the pattern the government followed for release of funds for the ill-fated project, Shahid Ansari said that the provincial government released funds at an average of just Rs. 115 to 120 million a year. "If the funds are released at the same pace, the project is likely to take several more years to complete. Just imagine how more lives of kids this delay will cost us," he raised a question. He said that the delay in completion of Children Complex extension project was another big example of exploitation of South Punjab. "Now the Governor is from Multan and if he is sincere with this region, he should get this project accomplished forthwith," he demanded.