NAROWAL: The DHQ hospital has been short of dialysis kits for one week leaving kidney patients in trouble.

Registered kidney patients visit the dialysis unit at the DHQ hospital as per their schedule. Now, the hospital establishment is asking them to buy kits from the bazaar. Up to 30 kidney patients are treated free daily.

Muzamil Baig was scheduled to undergo dialysis on Wednesday. He received a call from the hospital on Tuesday night, “If you want to undergo dialysis, please arrange the dialysis kit before visiting the hospital.”

Muzamil undergoes dialysis twice a week.

Muhammad Arshad, 55, and Fatima Bibi, 60, are on the registered patient list. They said the kit was costly and they had no resources to bear the expense. This means they will have to skip the treatment, which will worsen their condition. Patients protested outside the medical superintendent (MS) office.

In charge of the dialysis unit Dr Tariq Shaheen said, “More than 210 patients undergo dialysis in a week. It is the duty of the hospital administration to provide dialysis kits to the unit.”

MS Dr Latif Afzel said, “The budget and dialysis kits of the hospital have been consumed while local purchase and Zakat funds have also gone.” He said they were trying to arrange funds.

Chief Executive Officer Dr Hafiz Muhammad Khalid said he would try his best to solve the problem on priority. Patients appealed to Prime Minster Imran Khan and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to take notice of the issue.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2020