FAISALABAD: Women doctors of the Allied Hospital are exposed to infectious diseases as the hospital administration is dumping infected machines, wheelchairs, drip sets, trolleys and old beds at their hostel.

Allied Hospital caters to patients from Faisalabad, Jhang, Chiniot, Toba Tekh Singh, Sargodha and other districts. Hostels of the lady doctors are insufficient to accommodate all of them, while the sole lawn of the hostel has been converted into a junkyard for a couple of months. Currently, it is dumped with rusted machinery and other parts used to treat patients.

Requesting anonymity, the doctors told Dawn that the boarders were facing problems due to the indifferent attitude of the administration that was accommodating three to five doctors in a small room. They said that the hospital administration was well aware of the issues being faced by the doctors, but did nothing to solve them.

They further said they were planning to send a letter to Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid to inform her about the issues of women doctors.

A hospital official said the issue would be resolved soon as all the dumped material would be auctioned soon. He claimed that they had no proper disposal site at the hospital to dump the outdated parts at. These parts were not infected nor could they lead to any disease, he claimed.

The medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Khurram, seconded the official, saying everything dumped here would be auctioned very soon. A committee had been formed in this regard, he added.

He further said the hostel lawn was the only space with a boundary wall, which was why everything had been dumped there for the time being. “Moreover, I am the first person to expand the lady doctors’ hostel after 30 years through my own resources,” he claimed.

He added that the design was ready and had been presented as a proposal to the government, which was yet to be approved.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2018