FAISALABAD, Aug 21: The patients at the DHQ and Allied hospitals are suffering due to non-availability of doctors and paramedical staff as the officials have been called to attend training camps in connection with the election duty.

The hospitals’ medical officers, specialist doctors, and even the emergency staff, including the paramedics, have been deputed for the polling duty in the district.

The district surgeon, special medical officer, junior and senior registrars, ENT and chest specialists, senior consultants, gynaecologist, skin specialist, nursing superintendent, cardiologist, office superintendent, and administrative staff of the both hospitals have also been asked to perform the election duty by the authorities concerned.

The principal and medical superintendents of both the teaching hospitals, besides the nursing staff heads, through separate letters had requested the district returning officer to exempt the medical staff from the election duty. But the authorities concerned have appointed the officials as presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers at different polling stations in the city and its rural areas for the local elections scheduled to be held on Aug 25.

Attendants of a number of patients in the emergency ward were witnessed concerned about their treatment as only one medical officer was available at the Allied Hospital. The shortage of the nurses also hampered the medical activities at the hospitals.

Election authorities say that they had been left with no option but to depute medial officials for the polling duty due to shortage of polling staff.