Healthcare crisis

We are aware that there is a lack of sufficient healthcare to cater to the needs of thousands of people in the country. But according to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, each year at least 300 persons die in Rawalpindi and Islamabad mainly in the winter season due to the unavailability of ventilator facilities. PIMS has 52 beds with ventilators and another 12 incubators for infants. According to available data, only 15 to 20 percent of seriously sick patients requiring ventilators are fortunate enough to receive one at a government hospital. The remaining 75 percent of patients must go to private hospitals where beds with ventilators cost around Rs20,000 to Rs100,000 per day. Naturally it is not possible for the majority in the country to pay this price; doctors believe there may be many more deaths due to the lack of ventilators than is currently estimated.The situation highlights the conditions of healthcare in the country. PIMS complains that one of the reasons it faces such a heavy burden of patients is the referrals from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AJK and northern Punjab. Respiratory ailments, which most often affect the elderly and children, reach their peak in these parts of the country as temperatures drop. But even at other times of the year the health structure available in the country is unable to perform its primary task of saving lives. In many government hospitals, even in major cities like Lahore, two to three patients are placed in a single bed and there is inadequate nursing or specialized care to cater to their needs. Indifference on the part of medical staff has been reported and with such high volume of patients, private hospitals’ negligence is also more likely.There are also problems with other essential equipment. MRI or CAT scan machines at some major hospitals are frequently malfunctional and attendants are forced to transport desperately sick patients to other hospitals, sometimes at the cost of their lives. In fact, there are few hospitals especially outside major urban centres which can properly cater to the needs of citizens requiring care. We were promised by the PTI government that healthcare would be made available to all and the existing structure drastically improved. This is yet to be seen even in KP. Many lives could easily be saved if we were able to put in place a more efficient system, and ensure that even the limited resources available are correctly utilized.

from The News International - Editorial https://ift.tt/2S9vCGn