OVERBILLING: Electricity overbilling has created multiple hardships for the people. Ordinary households are charged far beyond their actual consumption. Faulty meters and estimated billing practices exploit the public. When people try to file a complaint, the officials simply tell them to pay the bill in instalments. Allegedly, lower-level staff members are involved in illegal connections, worsening the crisis and eroding trust in the system. Families are cutting down on basic necessities just to pay unfair bills. The authorities concerned should ensure transparency in meter readings.

Saleem Raza Laghari
Tando Allahyar

PATIENTS’ RECORD: A seriously ill woman recently had her biopsy done at a large teaching hospital. A team of doctors treated her, but when she was discharged, she did not receive a discharge summary, biopsy results and test reports. This is because the hospital uses an electronic record system and does not provide copies of test results or procedure reports to the patients. Later, when the woman went to see her family doctor for a check-up, she had no record to share with the physician. There is no harm in having electronic records, but hospitals must give a detailed discharge summary to all the patients along with their test results and reports.

Dr Mukhtar Ali Turi
Parachinar

UNIVERSITIES NEEDED: South Punjab, with a population of around 20 million, has only a handful of public universities, mainly in Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah and Rahim Yar Khan. This denies mass access to higher education, creating a huge gap in terms of career and livelihood opportunities. Several districts, including Lodhran, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh and Kot Addu, do not have public universities, leaving millions of students with limited opportunities to pursue higher education close to their homes. Low- and middle-income families cannot afford the cost of high tuition, hostel and transport. The government should prioritise the establishment of public universities in underserved districts.

Mahar Muhammad Hanzla
Muzaffargarh

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2026