SIALKOT, Aug 10: Patients are being denied medicines at Pasrur tehsil headquarters hospital for the fourth day as the staff concerned has been engaged for the anti-polio campaign going on in the district.
Many male and female patients told Dawn on Friday that they were not getting medicines from the hospital as the store-keeper and other officials concerned had been deputed in far-flung areas in connection with the anti-polio drive.
They said they were being asked by the hospital authorities to purchase the medicines from the market as the store was lying closed due to the absence of the relevant staff. They deplored that no alternative staff was assigned the important duty on account of which patients were suffering.
The hospital management claimed as the staff concerned had been deputed for the vaccination drive by the district health department high-ups they could do nothing to provide relief to the patients.
It has also been learnt that most of the nurses of the hospital had already been engaged in the anti-polio drive due to which many indoor patients were lying unattended there.
District Health Officer Dr Javaid Warriach said the officials responsible for the negligence would be brought to the task, and ordered early provision of medicines to the patients.
COMPENSATION DENIED: Farzana Riaz (32), a victim of April 17 gas explosion at Pasrur THQ hospital was still seeking Rs50,000 compensation announced by the Punjab government for each of the injured.
The victim told journalists that she had eight-month pregnancy and had come to the hospital for a check-up when the explosion occurred.
She said she was seriously injured in that blast and was shifted to the Government Allam Iqbal Memorial DHQ Hospital in a critical condition, where she gave birth to a premature baby who died within minutes of the birth.
She alleged that Pasrur health department officials did not include her name in the list of the injured, depriving her of the financial compensation.
“I lost my baby and I was also injured seriously in the incident, but there was no financial compensation for me,” she deplored. She appealed to Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi to look into the matter and order the due relief.
