RECENTLY, I had to consult a renowned general physician of Khairpur for a medical check-up of my cousin. I advised him to recommend us for creatinine examination as I felt my cousin had symptoms of kidney problem.

He refused to do so as, according to him, there were no such symptoms. After 20 days, I again visited the same doctor along with my cousin. After examining the critical situation, the doctor hurriedly recommended us for creatinine examination.

The report revealed creatinine level at a horrible 17.8, whereas its normal level is said to be from 0.7 to 1.2. The urea level was at 167 which should be between 10 and 40 normally. He advised me to take the patient for dialysis to the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) or the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant, Sukkur, without any delay as the patient was unable to even breathe smoothly. I took the patient to GIMS.

The doctors at GIMS admitted the patient. He was treated with dialysis four times during five days. Now the patient is in a stable condition. But the doctors asked us to appear again after four days for dialysis.

When I again took the patient for dialysis, I was shocked to see the pre-dialysis examination of blood sample, which showed urea level at 408 whereas its normal level is 10 to 40. The doctor was surprised to see such a report from the GIMS laboratory. He asked me to consult any private laboratory. I did so with the same blood sample taken from the GIMS lab.

This time the urea level was at 184. Although the level had increased from the previous one, there seemed a huge difference between 184 and 408.

When I met the head of GIMS to lodge a complaint, he simply referred me to another lab of his hospital, terming the existing one as of no use.

I wonder about the condition of hundreds of poor patients whose treatment at the GIMS depends upon the reports of its rotten lab.

Salar Lateef

Kashmore

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2017