KARACHI, May 4: Hundreds of poor patients are facing difficulties in getting complete treatment and therapies since major hospitals in the city have not been released 100 per cent allocation for local purchase budget for over a year now. The hospitals, said to be victims of officials of the city government’s health and finance department, include those in Ibrahim Hyderi, Saudabad Malir, Orangi, Korangi and New Karachi – previously controlled by the Sindh Health Department.

The total budget for medicines for each major hospital is between Rs3 to Rs4 million, totalling around Rs20 million for all hospitals.

Some 98 per cent budgetary allocation for local purchase was released for the months of July, August and September 2004, 55 per cent for October, 45 per cent for November, and 100 per cent for December 2004 and January 2005.

A senior doctor from one such Sindh government hospital feared that only 30 per cent of the local purchase budget might be released for the month of February and March 2005. “No fiscal budget was released in the months of June for the last two years,” he added.

He said the city government’s finance department was not giving priority to hospitals despite the tall claims of the city nazim of enhancing the health budget.

“Purchasing furniture, fixtures, books, etc can be delayed but a patient cannot be returned for want of medicine or treatment. A 100 per cent budget must be released for the purchase of medicines,” he maintained.

A fund of Rs3 to Rs4 million from the local purchase budget has been released till date, but it is not possible to run such big hospitals with such a meagre amount, the doctor said, adding: “In such a situation, when patients are looking for medicines, how can we think about equipment or hospital improvement,” he said.

The doctor said everyday some 1,000 to 2,500 patients visited the OPDs in these hospitals.

“Due to this situation, the number of patients admitted has been reduced from 40 to 50 per cent, and most hospitals are being run on donations, charity, and zakat funds, while they were providing just routine medicines,” he told.—PPI