PESHAWAR, May 16: Shortage of funds and staff has been affecting the performance of Government Children Hospital negatively, doctors and health workers told Dawn on Friday.

Built in 1980, this 100-bed hospital of Peshawar is the sole facility for child patients throughout the province that provides treatment for diseases like gastro-enteritis, tetanus, measles, typhoid, malaria, hepatitis, TB, etc.

The hospital was being managed by the Peshawar Municipal Corporation until the take-over by the provincial health department in 1982. It has got six wards, but owing to lack of equipment, staff and drugs, it is impossible for the staff to entertain patients effectively.

The worst sufferers are patients of tetanus or gastro-enetritis because of nonavailability of ATS injections, anti-biotics and drips.

“We collect donations from individuals and pharmaceutical companies to run the day-to-day affairs of the hospital,” said a doctor. According to him, the hospital lacked even intravenous fluids, I/V canulas, disposable syringes, cotton, spirit and laboratory kits required for blood tests.

The 35-year-old X-ray plant has already outlived its life, and the quality of X-ray films is not that good to be believed. There is a hostel for nurses, but other staff like doctors and paramedics do not have the residential facilities and those performing night duties had to suffer immensely.

Ninety per cent of the visiting patients deserve Zakat, but the procedure of getting drugs from Zakat is extremely complicated, therefore the hospital management is considering returning Rs400,000 Zakat received from the government this year.

The hospital used to receive Rs6 million for drugs annually from the health department, which were reduced to Rs3 million, after the take-over by the local government a year ago.

Not only drugs, but the shortage of equipment have also hit the patients badly as nabulizers and incubators are out of order for years. Despite the availability of an ultrasound specialist at the hospital, the patients remain unattended as the ultrasound machine is without paediatric probe, an accessory required for examining children, the cost of which is Rs100,000.

The hospital has 105 staffers, including 20 doctors, four child specialists, 13 nurses and others, though it is the only hospital in public sector that has been providing 24-hour OPD facility since February 2003.

The doctors say the government should upgrade facilities at the hospital.