KARACHI: The number of visiting patients and their admission has declined at the third largest public sector hospital of the megacity, known as Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) due to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC), which runs this healthcare facility, financial crisis.
Media sources reported that a number of OPD patients and admitted patients have drastically dropped in this major hospital owing to lack of resources. The hospital’s financial and administrative affairs are largely being run on the limited KMC funding and philanthropic donations.
The shortage of staff and drugs, unavailability of advanced diagnostic facilities, suspension of food, non-operational wards, insufficient supply of water, out of order equipment and other problems have already badly affected the smooth functioning of this major hospital.
Reportedly, the posts of resident medical officers and consultants, staff nurses, sweepers, security guards, technicians, paramedical staff and others administrative seats are lying vacant. The shortage of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and administrative staff has badly affected the performance of the healthcare.
Many diagnostic machines including the MRI machine, ventilators, incubators and other equipment are currently out of order while the administration is unable to get them repaired due to shortage of funds.
“There is acute shortage of medicines and medical staff in this healthcare facility, while hospital administration is not even unable to maintain sanitation condition and security of the hospital in three shifts due to shortage janitorial staff,” sources informed.
ASH with more than 900 beds did not receive even 10 per cent of its budgetary allocation resulting in all the units of the hospital, including intensive care, coronary and emergency units, face acute shortage of life-saving medicines and other essential items.
Some departments of the hospital including Radiology, Cardiology, Urology, Plastic Surgery, Burns, and Neurosurgery are on the verge of closure due to shortage of specialist doctors and consultants. The junior doctors are running these departments due to unavailability of qualified doctors.
The patients are facing hardship due to the dearth of specialist doctors in hospital, but KMC administration and health department Sindh authorities concerned have so far not been able to provide qualified doctors to institution to improve patient care.
The financial crisis has seriously affected almost every service of the healthcare facility, which once provided not only costly medicines free but also food to its indoor patients. Currently, 40 per cent of the diagnostic machines at the facility are out of order.
ASH Medical Superintendent Dr Muhammad Anwer said that the hospital administration is facing multiple challenges to run the affair of health facility smoothly and effectively.
He said special funds are needed to provide medicines, hire new staff, repair out of order equipment, make functional wards and purchase new machines to improve patient care.