PESHAWAR, Nov 7: The relief package that was announced last month by the provincial Health Department to facilitate patients is yet to benefit the latter, health workers told Dawn.

The NWFP Health Department on Oct 17 circulated a 10-point notification to all major as well as district headquarters hospitals (DHQs) as the relief package. But health professionals at city hospitals say nothing so far has been witnessed that could provide relief to patients.

Patients still have to pay users’ charges at hospitals as they were paying before the announcement of the package.

“The notification, if implemented, will only increase hospitals’ revenue,” said a doctor.

Similarly, the notification issued to the public sector hospitals to ensure presence of consultants at casualty wards in order  to provide relief to the critically ill patients still remains unimplemented.

The casualty departments are still being run by the casualty medical officers (CMOs) who in most cases are just MBBS doctors. The casualty departments at city hospitals, which receive critically injured or ill patients merely serve as referral points.

Doctors at the casualty department receive patients only to be sent to the units concerned for further treatment.

“If the government wants consultant at the casualty department, it needs to provide at least 10 consultants to remain present because it is not the job of one consultant to provide special care to all patients,” said a senior surgeon.

Likewise, the notification has also called for the evening OPDs at teaching hospitals to continue the practice where doctors  examine patients for a meagre amount of Rs5. Hospital workers believe that this is not workable because consultants go to their private clinics in the evening where they charge Rs300 of a single patient.

“How can you expect consultants to examine patients for free who refused the institution-based practice (IBP),” said a physician. He said that patients were also not visiting the OPDs in the evening because they knew that without paying the fee they would not be seen by genuine doctors.

According to the notification consultants are also required to be present at the OPD from 9am to 1pm in order to examine more patients. This has not been implemented as well.

Consultants say that they come to the ward at 8am and examine all patients.

“During the morning round, we examine some 40 hospitalized patients which takes almost two hours. Apart from the OPD, we also attend patients in other wards and private rooms, besides delivering lectures at the Khyber Medical College,” said a surgeon. He said that forcing consultants to comply with these directives would backfire and patients would ultimately suffer.