Shaukat Khanum Hospital has yet to come forward to offer free-of-cost diagnostic facility for dengue patients at its collection centres across the city despite several government requests to the private sector to join hands in handling the deadly epidemic, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Heads of several private teaching hospitals and clinics, after holding a meeting with the Punjab government, announced free diagnostic facilities to cope up with the severest epidemic which has hit the city in decades. In a recent development, the Punjab government also took a private laboratory on board and established 10 blood collection centres in different parts of the city to ease the ailing citizens.
Despite all government efforts hundreds of suspects are coming to different blood testing facilities in both public and private sectors with an increasing number of positive cases everyday, further underlining the gravity of the situation. However, free-of-cost blood testing facility is not available at any of the 12 collection centres of Shaukat Khanum Hospital, which has “disappointed” many dengue suspects coming for a blood test.
“I’ve got my blood tested from the Shaukat Khanum collection centre at Samanabad and paid Rs 400 for it. I even argued with the staff not to charge for the test as is being done in various other private and public health facilities. I never expected that one of the trusted names in health service will not come forward to help at a time when the entire city is under the fear of a deadly mosquito.
Imran Khan should have independently announced free diagnostic facility if it did not want to join hands with the Punjab government,” Khaleel, a dengue suspect told Pakistan Today. “This may be a small amount for the rich, but the poor in many cases are even burdened with travelling expenses to and from a health facility. Imran Khan, who claims to be a leader of the poor, has ignored them at such a critical time,” he added.
Punjab Health Parliamentary Secretary Saeed Elahi however said, “I talked to Shaukat Khanum Hospital CEO Dr Faisal Sultan sometime back and he assured me of extending full cooperation to the Punjab government to help the dengue patients.” He added that Shaukat Khanum was a charity hospital and the land was given to Imran Khan by PML-N President Nawaz Sharif.
“These major hospitals have well-equipped laboratories and requisite human resource to handle such epidemics. I think Shaukat Khanum Hospital should come forward not only to help dengue patients but flood victims of Sindh as well,” Elahi added. The Shaukat Khanum Hospital spokesperson said that “basically” it was a cancer hospital so free-of-cost treatment would affect routine working.
“On our part, we are offering round-the-clock diagnostic facilities at all collection centres which, earlier, used to closed at 10pm. Moreover, we are offering concessions on dengue specific blood tests besides creating awareness among the people regarding the deadly fever,” the spokesperson added.
Dengue tests are not for free at Shaukat Khanum Hospital
