JHANG: Public hospitals across the district, including DHQ, THQ, basic health units and rural health centres are facing an acute shortage of life-saving drugs, it is learnt.

Sources on the condition of anonymity have attributed this state of affairs to the [alleged] negligence, indifference and inexperience of the Jhang heath authority chief executive officer.

Essential medicines like vaccines for dog bite, snake bite, insulin and antibiotics are unavailable in the DHQ hospital. In the emergency of DHQ hospital, necessary implements of dressing for the badly injured patients are not to be found whereas the most vital medicine Heparin for heart patients is ‘absent’ from the cardiology ward.

Patients are asked by the doctors to purchase these medicines from stores.

Sources say only an amount of Rs18 million has been utilised for the purchase of medicines by the hospital authorities out of the released sum of Rs25m.

When contacted, health CEO Dr Mehboob Hussain Qureshi says the situation has arisen owing to slow process of purchase. He admits the unavailability of insulin in the hospital, saying recently he has sent 500 vials of insulin to Layyah DHQ hospital. Locals have appealed to the Punjab chief minister to take stock of the situation and alleviate sufferings of the patients.

CELEBRATORY FIRE CLAIMS LIFE: A five-year-old boy, Rafaqat Ali, was killed in celebratory fire here on Tuesday night at Kharora Baqar, some 20 kilometres from here in the precincts of Saddar police station.

A marriage function was going on in the village where young man Muhammad Ramzan resorted to aerial firing. A stray bullet hit the neck of Rafaqat, killing him on the spot.

Police have arrested the suspect and recovered the weapon from him.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2020