At least 45 percent of the District Headquarters (DHQ) hospitals do not have cardiology, chest, orthopedic and psychiatry departments, a Free and Fair Election (FAFEN) report said on Saturday.
The report released on Saturday said that the psychiatry department was not present in 81 percent of the monitored DHQs. Cardiology department was not available in 45 percent DHQs while chest specialists and orthopedic departments were absent in 48 percent and 49 percent DHQs respectively.
DHQs are considered best in the secondary health care system in Pakistan. It is therefore important that they be equipped with specialised staff and facilities in order to provide complete medical care to the citizens.
FAFEN governance monitors who visited 65 DHQs in as many districts reported that there was no department of physiotherapy in around three-fifths of the hospitals. On a positive note, around four-fifths of the monitored health facilities had a gynecology and obstetrics department and a similar number had a department of ophthalmology. A pediatric department was available in 55 DHQs, while 58 health facilities had a department of surgery.
Infrastructure and general facilities in DHQs were satisfactory and all the monitored DHQs had proper roads leading to the premises and 64 of them had boundary walls around them. All had electricity connections, 64 had fans and 62 had a generator for power backup. The three DHQs that did not have a generator were in Balochistan. However, Sui gas connections were available in only around half of the monitored DHQs.
Fifty eight health facilities had washrooms with running water for patients. Residential quarters for staff were present in the premises of 60 DHQs and a similar facility for doctors was present in 58 health facilities.
All 65 DHQs had wards for inpatients and laboratories for medical tests.
An operation room for major surgeries was available in 62 health facilities while a labour room was present in 60. X-Ray rooms were present in all but one DHQ, that too in Balochistan. However, blood banks were not available in 10 DHQs.
Except for a DHQ in Balochistan, all had medicines in the in-house pharmacy.
Oversight of DHQs was minimal during September and November 2012 and officials made 37 visits to 26 DHQs.