And more criminal negligence by the government
First we were shocked by reports of the Punjab government sitting idly by while a big chunk of a crucial, donor provided, anti-polio vaccine was literally wasted. Now, there is news of dozens of children dying because of unavailability of diphtheria antitoxin (DAT), which has been reportedly out of stock since October. And, as a detailed report in this newspaper indicated, the Children Hospital – which has been overwhelmed with diphtheria cases since early this year – got together a number of doctors and approached the Secretary Health, but nobody paid much attention.
The natural question that arises is just why did the government not make necessary arrangements when the outbreak was clearly prolonged and intense, and supplies were inadequate? There are also reports that much of the available vaccine expired without being used, even though cases were on the rise. And more seriously, the hospital administration seemed concerned about disclosing the exact number of deaths. There was also at least one case when a child was discharged minutes before expiring so the death could not be reported at the hospital. And, typically, all the (interim) DG Health had to say was that the vaccine was in short supply all over the world and the disease had a high fatality rate.
It seems that the PML-N government, in its haste to fund highly visible mega projects, has not put issues like education and health too high on its priority list. Not too long ago a WHO report found that as many as 60 percent children in Pakistan were being born stunted. On top of that, the government is criminally negligent of its main duty in terms of providing necessary health provisions. In power at the centre and in Punjab, PML-N will find it hard to make a compelling case in future elections if its resume boasts impressive power plants and motorways, yet is marred with a breakdown in basic education and rise in avoidable child deaths.