20 February 2005	Sunday	10 Muharram 1426

PESHAWAR, Feb 19: Consultants are not examining patients at the teaching hospitals, sources said.

"Consultants are required to examine patients in the out-patient departments (OPDs) of teaching hospitals from 10am to 1pm, but most of them send their juniors to the OPDs," said a house officer at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH).

According to him, patients visit the teaching hospitals for check-up by the consultants, but they are examined by medical officers or house officers. "I took my father to the medical OPD, but there no consultant available. I had to take him to the clinic of a consultant and admitted him," said Zafar Khan, a resident of Mardan.

The situation in the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) and Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) was not different from the LRH, where a few consultants attended the OPD, said a senior surgeon.