LODHRAN-The Kidney Ward of District Headquarters Hospital of Lodhran, which has been closd for two years, was made functional due to the efforts of the newly deployed Deputy Commissioner Saqib Ali Ateel. A wave of joy passed through the local people. There are a total of 1,775,000 people of Lodhran according to the new census. The local business community paid tribute to the deputy commissioner.
According to the details, Lodhran has one District Headquarters Hospital whose Kidney Ward was closed for the last two years. However, later the General Elections 2018 administrative transfers were made throughout Pakistan. In this way, Saqib Ali Ateel was posted as deputy commissioner in Lodhran. Before assuming the charge, he visited the DHQ Hospital and listened to the problems of patients.
During his visit, hundreds of patients protested and requested to the deputy commissioner that there was no kidney ward in Lodhran. Then they had to travel about 35 kilometer to reach Bahawal Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur facing severe difficulties in traveling.
The deputy commissioner, with the help of Medical Superintendent Dr Shoaib, did efforts and made the hospital functional just within four days. The Kidney Ward comprised of four beds was inaugurated by a patient namely Kulsoom Bibi. Later, five more beds were added to the ward. The patients are now getting benefits of the facility.
At this time Kulsoom, a resident of Mauza Kondi, said that lots of patients had to face many difficulties earlier and now they had got rid of those difficulties. She added that she lived 15 kilometer away from the hospital in Aafta Basti and could easily come to the hospital by a rickshaw.
The DC told The Nation that during his visit to the hospital that all the medicines were easily available and the attendance of doctors had gone up to 90 percent from 60pc. However, he added, earlier the doctors were receiving salaries without working while now the situation had changed.
He added that he as a deputy commissioner visited the hospital on daily basis and in the morning all doctors were found present in OPD. He said more than 1,500 patients got treatments every day in the hospital. During the night shift, more than 300 patients were attended which is a record and a sign that people were satisfied with the facilities being provided in the hospital, he said.
Multan Division Commissioner Nadeem Irshad Kayyani paid a surprise visit to the hospital and told The Nation that the basic facilities like healthcare were being provided by the state.
To a question, he said that number of beds in emergency had increased to 10 and the government was trying to further increase the number.

He maintained that efforts were being made to deploy a neurosurgeon in the hospital. He pledged to talk to the Punjab secretary health and the chief secretary for the provision of all the medical facilities at the hospital.