KARACHI, Jan 24: The Sindh Government Qatar Hospital continues to make do with meagre funds despite promises and pledges made by the government that the hospital would be getting more money.
Owing to fund shortage, the hospital is unable to meet the needs of patients whose number has increased manifold in recent years.
In 1999, the hospital, on average, handled about 1,500 OPD patients every day. Today it handles about 3,500. The hospital has seen an increase of more than 200 per cent OPD patients.
However, to the utter shock of the hospital administration, the governmental grant has been reduced by as much as Rs4 million, creating innumerable problems for it. For the year 1999-2000, the hospital got a grant of Rs12.9 million, but in 2002-2003, it got only Rs8.7 million.
During the-then governor’s visit to the hospital in July its medical superintendent, Dr Jamaluddin Sheikh, had requested him to look into the issue. Mohammadmian Soomro did look into the matter and asked the finance ministry to allow additional funds to the hospital.
Subsequently, a letter was issued by the budget unit of the finance department, in which a request had been made, vide letter No SO(B)1-35/2001-02(Qatar) (dated Oct 25) to allow Qatar Hospital an additional sum of Rs20 million for the current financial year. When contacted, the hospital’s additional medical superintendent said the hospital found it difficult to meet the needs of its patients.
“Isn’t it strange that when we used to handle 1,500 patients, we used to get Rs13 million. But now, when the number of OPD patients has more than double, we are getting only Rs8.7 million,” said Dr Jamaluddin Sheikh.
The patients, he said, weren’t interested in finding out how much the administration was getting. They were only interested in seeing what the hospital could do for patients.
“All they see is that a few years ago they used to get medicines etc whenever they visited us. But now they get no medicines. As they have no background knowledge; nobody can blame them for jumping to the conclusion that our staff is either corrupt or incompetent.”
The hospital’s AMS said the authorities had not even given him the already sanctioned amount. “This is another facet of the difficult situation we are in.”
He added that his hospital wasn’t even getting medicines because the same had not been acquired by the procurement wing.
Meanwhile, a source said Qatar Hospital was a victim of the chaos and confusion that abounds in the health department. He said the increasing say of the City Government in Karachi’s affairs had also created problems.
“The hospitals, all hospitals, are in the process of learning about the new system. Similarly, the City Government officials were trying to learn how to manage the hospitals and clinics under their control.”
This was the biggest reason why the medical units weren’t performing up to their optimum levels, said the source. The procurement unit was particularly run badly.
“We see all kinds of people in this unit. Many of the gentlemen there are corrupt. The Qatar Hospital has not been getting a regular supply of medicines because of these problems.”
