Patient care deteriorates alarmingly at LRH

Peshawar - Patients and their attendants have criticised the deteriorating patient care at the Lady Reading Hospital, KP’s biggest public sector hospital, while the Young Doctors Association also addressed a press conference against reported corruption and mismanagement at the health facility on Wednesday.

Crowds of patients and their attendants are witnessed waiting in queues to get registration chits in order to get examined by doctors.

A child was taken to the LRH and after spending more than two hours in the hospital, the family was told to return without treatment, and during this time the child’s condition also worsened.

Later on, this correspondent visited the hospital where a male and a female doctor in the paeds section examined the baby and advised medicines for diarrhoea. Later, when the baby was brought home, it was noticed that the doctors had not suggested any medicines for fever, which the baby had been suffering constantly.

In the evening, the baby was taken to a private clinic, where a senior doctor criticised the LRH doctors for not having prescribed the fever medication and hence the same medicine was then given by the private clinic.

It merits a mention here that patient care has deteriorated significantly in the LRH. According to the sources in the health sector, the so-called health reforms introduced by the outgoing government of PTI had worsened the situation of the hospitals in KP.

On Wednesday, office-bearers of Young Doctors Association (YDA) also expressed concern over the deteriorating situation of the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and asked the authorities to take notice and save future of the KP’s biggest public sector hospital where patient care is deteriorating with each passing day.

Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, the spokesperson of the young doctors, Dr Faisal, said that corruption was at its peak in the hospital and the recent report has unveiled the misappropriation and irregularities worth Rs560 million.

Doctors of KP’s biggest hospital accused of indifference towards patients; YDA accuses LRH management of corruption, mismanagement

In the presence of other young doctors, the spokesperson alleged that the blue-eyed person of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Nowsheran Burki, was running the affairs of the main hospital on his own and all other officers were helpless.

He said Burki was handing over contracts to his people and the recent audit report has unveiled Rs5.5 million corruption in the purchase of various items for the hospital.

He alleged that the price of choice had been fixed and the associates, hospital director, secretary BoG were directly involved. He said the inquiry had been conducted on the directives of Burki but still no one could implement any decision in this regard.

Dr Faisal said that immoral activities had also earned bad name for the hospital on social media and were casting negative effects on the patients and attendants.

He said that 70 professors and doctors had left the profession due to mismanagement of LRH. He said huge corruption had been reported in the coronavirus fund. He said it was astonishing that those involved in the corruption were assigned important responsibilities at the hospital.

He said the hospital administration had blocked entry of their doctors into hostel, without any legal justification. He asked the Chief Justice Supreme Court of Pakistan, Chief Justice Peshawar High Court and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take action and save the hospital from destruction.

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