THERE is only one federal government ‘services’ hospital in Islamabad to provide healthcare to government servants. Having failed to set up a general hospital, the Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH), in ‘consultation’ with the politicians, allowed the people of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to have free laboratory tests and treatment.

The hospital, as could only be expected, became overcrowded. A visit to the washrooms is enough to ‘certify’ the unhygienic conditions prevailing across the premises. The toilets simply stink.

There are no separate windows for the elderly, and private (paying) patients or those with influence receive preferential treatment, including cases where hospita- lisation is required. The ‘preferred’ patients occupy all beds, even in officers’ wards, and the government servants are consigned to general wards due to ‘non-availability’ of beds.

The doctors tend to avoid surgeries related to civil servants who do not see them in their private clinics. Based on ultrasound reports, I, an octogenarian retired civil servant (BPS-19), have been advised surgery thrice for my gallstones. But the surgeons have never operated upon me, although I presented pre-operation fitness reports every time.

The hospital should direct people without a civil service background to approach the nearby Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). The relevant ministry should inspect the hospital’s affairs, such as embezzlement in medical stores, lack of cleanliness, favouritism in bed allocations, etc.

Amjed Jaaved
Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2023