THATTA: Health facilities in this district have been facing unavailability of medicines for more than two months and, as a result, attendants of poor patients are seen begging for money from people outside government hospitals and rural health centres. The main reason behind an acute shortage of commonly used medicines at government health facilities appears to be delay in the procurement of medicines, supposed to be delivered free of cost to needy patients, by provincial government.

Most patients reporting at the Thatta district headquarters (civil) hospital, eight major taluka hospitals and six rural health centres happen to be from lower class and, therefore, unable to bear treatment expenses. They depend on free treatment facility being extended to them by provincial government.

Government health facilities in this district are managed by an NGO, Medical Emergency Resilience Foun­dation (MERF).

The shortage had started hitting the health facilities in mid-April and gradually aggravated in the ensuing weeks. People arguing with staff of the health facilities, upon being told of unavailability of medicines they require, has become a common scene. In some instances, even brawls between them take place at six rural health centres functioning in Keti Bunder, Baghaan, Vur, Gharo, Jangshahi and Jherruck. However, pathetic scenes among such happenings are people begging money to buy medicines, including low-cost ones. Such people are those who come from very poor families and find it hard to earn even two square meal.

A similar situation prevails at the Makli Civil Hospital and the health facilities in the far-flung hilly terrains of Kohistan and deltaic region.

When contacted for his comment, MERF’s regional programme manager Adam Malik said his organisation had limited resources with which it could hardly meet the expenses of emergency medicines’ procurement. He said such medicines, particularly life-saving ones, were available at all these health facilities but the funding for other indented medicines was for Sindh government to ensure on a regular and timely basis.

Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2022