SWABI, July 25: Patients are complaining against lack of facilities at the district headquarters hospital and what they call the indifferent attitude of the doctors. The 74-bed hospital is required to cater to the health care needs of 1.1million people.

The hospital was given the DHQ status in 1998, but it lacks facilities and is understaffed. Even normal cases of delivery are referred to other hospitals, owing to lack of required infrastructure.

Some critically-ill patients have died on the way while being shifted to other hospitals. Patients in the labour room are given beds with blood-stained mattresses, which adversely affects their health.

It was learnt that the gynaecologist was on one-month leave and the staff discouraged the patients and advised them to visit private clinics. The hospital has only one out-dated ECG machine which is frequently shifted from one ward to another.

The X-ray machine also remains short of films. Though the anaesthesia machine is operating properly, the ENT has nothing to conduct operations. No action has been taken against an employee who had stolen the equipment for the dental despite being proved guilty by an inquiry body.

The most deplorable scene prevailed in the 15-bed children ward and more often two to three children are admitted on one bed. About the availability of free medicines for poor patients, the sources said that last year Rs1.4 million was allocated by the district government, but during the current financial year it has been slashed to Rs900,000. Thirty posts of nursing staff remained vacant.