SIALKOT-The patients and their families held a protest as they have suffer great ordeal due to the prolonged unavailability of the beds and other facilities in Daska Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.
Daska THQ Civil Hospital had only 187 beds for the indoor patients for the last three decades as the number of beds had not been increased during the last three decades following the growing number of patients.
The hospital has been waiting for the increase in the number of the beds for the last three decades, said the hospital management. The hospital management said that the situation had repeatedly been brought into the notice of the high ups of the Punjab health department but to no avail.
The PML-Q-backed government in Punjab had spent Rs160 million for the reconstruction and renovation of Daska THQ Civil Hospital’s new building by demolishing its old building. But, the government did not focus on increasing the number of the beds at Daska THQ Civil Hospital. More than 1,200 indoor and outdoor patients visit Daska Civil Hospital daily for medication and the number of the visiting patients is growing day by day.
The hospital management confirmed the the doctors give time of minimum six months to almost all the indoor patients to get admitted at Daska Civil Hospital. The doctors said that they were forced to give six-month time to the patients for getting beds due to the shortage of beds. Due to the shortage, the patients are forced to go to the local private hospitals around the Daska Civil Hospital for their very costly treatment.
One Sakeena Bibi (57) of village Jaamkey Cheema-Daska said that she visited Daska Civil Hospital for surgery. She said that the doctors advised her early surgery of gallbladder, but the doctors have given time of next seven months for getting a bed at the hospital. She that there was acute shortage of beds in the civil hospital.
Bashir Ahmed (63) of village Wadala Sindhuaan-Satrah said that he reached THQ Civil Hospital after travelling about 45km for his orthopedic treatment. He said that doctors said that no bed was available at this hospital asking him to come after six months for his “urgent” medical treatment. He said that now he was going to some other private hospital for his medical treatment.
Meanwhile, dozens of female patients lodged a protest against the sluggish aptitude of Women Medical Officers (WMOs) and gynecologists at Daska Civil Hospital.
The female patients said that the WMOs and gynecologists deputed at Daska Civil Hospital had also established their own private clinics and hospitals around the Daska Civil Hospital. The patients said that the WMOs and gynecologists often force the female patients especially the pregnant women to get their delivery at their private clinics and hospitals. The patients said that mostly the junior nurses handle the delivery cases at the government hospital.
On the other hand, the ultrasound department of the Daska Civil Hospital is established in a narrowed room and there is only a single ultrasound machine for hundreds of patients. Thus the the female patients have to wait for ultrasound tests.
They said that a separate female doctor be appointed at ultrasound department for conducting ultrasound of patients especially the pregnant women. There is only doctor who conducts the ultrasound of hundreds of the patients.
A great rush of patients especially women could be witnessed there standing in long queues for getting the prescription paper called “Parchi”. They also protested that due to the mismanagement, the patients and attendants have to stand for several hours for getting Parchi. They said that there was a shortage of staff deputed to issue Parchi to the patients.
Several people said that they remained unable to get this direly needed “Parchi” for medical treatment despite spending full day as they could not reach the counter to get it within time.
The protesting patients said that the things could be made better in the hospital through proper management. They said Daska civil hospital was also suffering multiple problems due to the visible mismanagement.
The patients and their attendants expressed grave concern over the critical situation. They urged Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar to look into the matter in the large public interest.