RAHIM YAR KHAN: Healthcare difficulties have increased at the Sheikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) after the implementation of the Health Information Management System (HIMS), the online token system at outpatient departments (OPDs), and long queues to get vital medicines, putting the patients in distress. On the other hand, the SZMCH administration did not prepare a plan to overcome the issue in the district’s large health facility after the caretaker government’s decision to implement the HIMS.

According to SZMCH sources, there are more than 26 OPDs at SZMCH in three different locations — the main hospital, Police building hospital on Jail Road, and Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre Dari Sanghi. There are only 11 computer operating desk windows for these OPDs. In the daily routine, almost 5,000 patients visit the health facility for different issues. The sources said that patients have to initially register themselves through their CNIC or mobile phone number to get a token, and when a patient who gets his token at 9am, could visit the consultant doctor at or by 12pm. Before the implementation of HIMS, in 10 minutes 10 patients were entertained but now in the same time only two patients could get tokens. A large number of patients are forced to return without checking the doctor due to fewer HIMS counters.

Similarly, the practice of waiting for tokens at the Diabetes Clinic is worst. A diabetic patient has to stand in the queue four times. Initially, they stand in a queue to get a token from a counter, then in another queue for the allotment of a number. Later, they stand in the queue again for a token to get permission for insulin, and lastly, they face another queue for the insulin vial.

SZMCH Director of Security Prof Dr Zafar Majeed says that before the HIMS, there was no record of the patient. The same patient visited the SZMCH daily, got medicine, and it was the misuse of resources and human resources. After the implementation of HIMS, we had reduced the daily visitors called “hospital birds,” and now the daily strength of patients has reduced from 7,000 to 5,000, Majeed claimed.

SZMCH focal person and Deputy Medical Superintendent Rana Ilyas Ahmed told Dawn that the load of patients at the SZMCH was understandable as it is the only teaching hospital in the district that caters to the population of 5.3 million. He said that there were 26 counters in SZMCH for HIMS, and all the patients arriving at SZMCH get tokens, meet the consultants, and receive medicines.

He added that the insulin for needy patients is only available at the SZMCH in the whole district. After the implementation of HIMS, the SZMCH staff was working beyond its capacity, and there were already long queues when the manual system of “Parchi” was in practice. The load of patients was the proof and justification of successful efforts of management and staff that people were visiting the SZMCH, Ahmed claimed.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2023