LARKANA: As many as 4,145 patients expired in Chandka Medical College Hospital during 2017, the media learnt on Sunday.
The statistics show that on average, over 11 patients lose their lives in the hospital every day. A total of 61,787 patients were discharged after treatment and 5,803 cases were Left Against Medical Advice (LAMA), while 28,998 major and minor operations were carried out and 10,65,005 patients came to the Out Patients Department (OPD) to get medical treatment.
As many as 118,985 x-Rays and 101,000 ultrasounds were carried out during the same year, while 658,895 laboratory examinations were carried out and 14,533 kidney-failure patients got dialysis. Likewise, 1790 patients’ kidney stones were removed through Lithotripsy procedure, 66,453 ECGs and 3,976 NVDs were done.
In January 2017, 392 patients expired. Furthermore, 307 patients followed in February, 306 in March, 328 in April, 376 in May, 407 in June, 390 in July, 364 in August, 345 in September, 298 in October, 276 in November and in December 356 indoor patients died in the largest teaching hospital of upper Sindh having 1500 bed capacity.
This major hospital claims to be catering to the needs of over 12 districts of lower Sindh, parts of Balochistan and also the lower part of Punjab. The worst affected is the emergency department (Accident and Emergency Center) where no Chief Casualty Medical Officer (CCMO) has been posted to properly manage the affairs of patients in an emergency who arrive here in critical condition from far-flung areas.
Not even a Casualty Medical Officer (CMO) is present here and all the doctors have to perform 15-days rotation duty as CMO in all three shifts.
Likewise, no Woman Medico-Legal Officer (WMLO) is present at the hospital either, despite two sanctioned posts for a WMLO of BPS-17. All lady doctors have to perform 15-days rotation duty which amounts to maltreatment. Three male doctors have been directed to perform Medico-Legal Officer (MLO) duty despite 17 sanctioned posts which are all vacant. None of these MLOs have been trained in jurisprudence and other related laws.
It is also a fact that the doctors posted on the posts of MLOs and CMOs fail to perform their duties and undertake them as punishment, as evident by the death rate. Police Surgeon (a post of BPS-20) has recently been posted here after a long time and is ready to retire in April.
A retired Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr Rahim Bux Baloch said that after the transfers of Dr Hussain Bux Memon in 2001, the performance of the hospital continues to decline from top to bottom as all medical superintendents posted here after his service, were hired due to political influence.
Dr Ikram Tunio, President-elect of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) said that shortage of nursing-care, paramedical staff and doctors has badly affected this major hospital. He said that a shortage of equipment, instruments, and machinery is another factor. These things are supplied to hospitals in Karachi but this one has always been neglected.
He further said that the government had tried its best to improve the system through PPHI, IHS. It increased their annual budget through public-private partnership system but that further aggravated the situation.
Dr Tunio stated that the rulers now want to handover teaching hospitals to the private sector which will be resisted as the working of these hospitals will be ruined and that if the government wants improvement in the healthcare system it shall have to stop political interference in the affairs of hospitals, fill all vacant posts from BPS-2 to 20 with qualified, trained and experienced doctors, as selection on merit will bring good governance and the situation will gradually change.
He concluded by saying that the ratio of patients’ mortality could be higher in Karachi’s hospitals and suggested that nursing care should be increased along with the required facilities.
