11 November 2004	Thursday	27 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Nov 10: Of every two Pakistanis suffering from end-stage renal diseases who are treated at the public-sector hospitals, at least one is dialysed at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT). Unlike the other government healthcare centres which have started charging for the services they provide, the patients are dialysed free at the institute.

The SIUT is the only government-run hospital where kidney transplant operations are performed. And 90 per cent of the country's total number of lithotripsy procedures are carried out at this institute.

The adult population of the hospital has risen to more than 275,000, including 125,000 who visit its outpatient department every year. So far at least 1,700 kidney and one liver transplant operations have been performed there.

Despite these achievements, which are by no account mean, the SIUT is given only Rs200 million every year in governmental grants. In comparison, the Civil Hospital Karachi gets Rs800 million every year. The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre also gets a far more hefty sum each year.

This is the reason why Prof S.A. Anwar Naqvi of the SIUT feels his institute should be provided with more funds by the authorities. "I think the government should give us Rs300 million. That much they can, and should, do," he said while talking to Dawn on Wednesday.

Prof Naqvi said the SIUT provided high-cost facilities to all its patients free of cost. And the number of patients seeking treatment at the SIUT was increasing at a dramatic rate, he pointed out.

"High-cost services, coupled with high number of people who seek these services, has obliged us to draw on our endowment fund. And the day is drawing close when we will have used up even this fund which once used to provide millions to us as return on investment."

He told this reporter that the SIUT's emergency department received between eight and 10 patients every day who suffered from end-stage renal diseases. "This means that the number of people seeking dialysis or renal transplants are increasing at a tremendous rate."

Meanwhile, SIUT Director Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi told Dawn that there was a limit to what the authorities can do for his institute. "I don't think the government is in a position to do much. However, if the governmental grant is increased it will be welcome."

Prof Rizvi was of the opinion that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz wanted to help out the SIUT in its hour of need. "So, yes. The government grant could be increased.

"But if the government, for some reason, cannot increase the grant at least it should give us a prime piece of land, which could provide us with a regular source of income." Prof Rizvi said the role of the masses and philanthropists should not be ignored or overlooked in this regard.

"Look, the common people and donors have kept us afloat for the last 28 years. There's no reason to believe that this will not continue."

In a country where 40 per cent of the people eke out an existence below the poverty line, good quality medical care was a luxury, said Prof Rizvi. "In such a situation, there are only two options left to the patients of end-stage kidney diseases. Either pay up and live or don't pay and die. "However, we at the SIUT believe that there should be a third option as well. Here our motto comes which says: 'Don't let anyone die simply because he cannot afford to live'."