THATTA, July 2: The dialysis centre at the Civil Hospital Makli, established with the collaboration of British Petroleum (BP) in 2012, is running short of funds and relevant facilities, Dawn learnt here on Tuesday.

The BP Pakistan and the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited have been involved in offshore collaboration along the coastline of Thatta and Badin since 2006 with a $20 million investment. The BP is contributing to development schemes in both tail-end districts. Staff of the dialysis centre told Dawn that the facility did not have ambulances, a standby generator, suction and ECG machines, nebulisers, computers, UPS, printer, table, separate gas connection for generator and a separate transformer of 100 kV. Moreover, said the staff, the centre also lacked funds for estimated running cost for the current year including salaries, medicines and maintenance of dialysis machines. The cost of dialysis treatment for each patient was about Rs4,000.

Meanwhile, BP sources told Dawn that the company had already released funds and they were at the disposal of Thatta deputy commissioner.

The delay, they said, was caused because the district administration’s social development committee did not meet for a long time because of election and other engagements.

The dialysis centre at the Civil Hospital Makli was initially established at a cost of Rs12 million and had the capacity to treat six patients per day. In January 2013, four new machines were obtained and 10 to 12 dialysis patients were being treated at the hospital with the help of eight machines.

BP Pakistan has earmarked Rs110 million for Thatta out of which Rs27 million has been spent on establishing a trauma centre on the Thatta-Hyderabad Road. Dawn learnt that the BP-Pakistan had also consented to develop trauma centres in Sujawal, Mirpur Bathoro, Gharo and coastal towns of Mirpur Sakro and Jati.