PESHAWAR, Nov 12: Patients with burn injuries admitted to the Watan Welfare Society (WWS) are not provided with free treatment as claimed by the society, patients told Dawn on Tuesday.

Established in 1999, the 12-bed facility provides treatment to burn victims, but all of them say that they are charged for everything here.

Jehanzeb, father of five-year-old Jamil, who sustained 25 per cent burn injuries, faces the problem of purchasing medicines prescribed by the doctors.

A resident of Khar, Bajuar Agency, Jamil slipped to the oven two weeks ago, and was admitted to Burn Care Centre of the Watan Welfare Society on Nov 9.

“We have no money left to pay for my child treatment. My husband is a labourer and his income is too small to meet the expensive treatment here. We are required to purchase everything from the market,” said Kashmali, the mother of Jamil.

She said they were planning to shift their son home in a couple of days because of the expenses here.

The case of 13-year-old Fazal Malik, a resident of Samar Bagh, district Dir, is no different from Jamil. He received 30 per cent burn injuries on Oct 2, on his abdomen, thigh, feet and on both hands.

His father Habibur Rehman says: “I have already spent Rs25,000 which I had borrowed from my relatives. I cannot afford the further treatment of my son.”

He said he also got Zakat certificate but to no avail. Habib said his son was suffering from cold and fever but the doctors were giving him sedatives and pain killers instead of medicines.

Besides Fazal Malik lies Nadir Shah who received 40 per cent burns. His friend who is also his attendant said that Nadir used to work in an auto-part shop. A fire broke out in the shop on Oct 31. The entire shop was in flames but Nadir Shah ran inside the shop to save the holy Quran from being burnt.

Other shopkeepers of the area raised funds to pay for Nadir Shah’s treatment.

Habib Khan, uncle of four-year-old Suhrab Rehman of Tall district, who received 20 per cent burn injuries on Oct 26 when his mentally-retarded grandmother put hot water on him, said he deposited Rs2,000 as admission fee. He also claimed that no free treatment was provided here.

Another patient, Amrasa, mother of six and a resident of Mohmand Agency, said her husband Zar Mohammad, was a part-time labourer and could not afford her treatment. She said she was dependent on her three teen-aged sons who did small jobs in Karachi.

She has so far received six pints of blood all of which was donated by her relatives.

When contacted, Member Board of Directors of WWS Dr Said Alam Mahsud said that poor people were being treated free of cost at the society, while charges for dressing, operation theatre and investigations were nominal. He also said that drugs were provided to the patients on 20 per cent discount rates.