The patients of three allied hospitals of Rawalpindi, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, District Headquarters Hospital and Holy Family Hospital, were faced with an acute shortage of medicines, as provision of free medicines to them was negligible.
According to sources, the hospitals were working under the Health Department, Allied Hospitals and Rawalpindi Medical College Authority. Patients in Emergency and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of the hospitals were provided medicines to a relatively a greater extent, but persons admitted in wards or OPDs could not get medicines.
Moreover, the procedure of demand and supply of medicines to hospitals had also been changed. Earlier Medical Superintendents of each hospital would send in the supply order but now the principals of Allied Hospitals and Rawalpindi Medical College sent the supply order under a policy of centralization.
Punjab Health Department’s policy stated that medicines would be provided to all patients coming to these hospitals, but that was not taking place. The hospital administration said that the scarcity of funds was main the reason behind non-provision of sufficient medicines to patients.
The source revealed that medicines prescribed by the doctors were not provided by dispensaries of the hospitals and if one found some, those were alternatives to the prescribed medicines.
Patients and attendants at the allied hospitals expressed serious concerns on the prevailing situation in hospitals and requested Punjab Health Department officials and the Principal Allied Hospitals and Rawalpindi Medical College to take practical steps to resolve the problem.
No medicines in Rawalpindi hospitals
