Most private hospitals in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi lack basic facilities to handle general surgeries, post-operation infections and complications due to the dearth of qualified staff.
A majority of private hospitals do not provide essential facilities like CT scans, incubators, ventilators, ICU, CCU wards and a sufficient strength of doctors to handle general surgeries.
Several people complained about the general lack of treatment facilities in these hospitals.
Kashif Ali, a teacher, said the hospital management irritated patients and attendants by asking them to fulfil various formalities and do not provide adequate services.
“There are no checks on their performance and they provide no relief to the poor,” said a patient at a private hospital.
Ahsan Ali, an employee at a private firm, told APP that doctors in these hospitals worked in various other hospitals as well.
“They come in a few minutes before surgeries and take a cursory look at the patients’ histories and take decisions without really studying the case and physical conditions of the patients,” he said.
“These patients were then left at the mercy of nurses,” he added.
Expressing serious concern, people urged the government to take concrete steps to avoid untoward incidents in the future by evolving a clear-cut policy to deal with private hospitals.
When contacted, a private hospital’s official said that adequate steps had been taken to facilitate the maximum number of patients from far-flung areas of the country.
He said despite limited resources, the hospital administration was doing its best to provide adequate medical services.
