ISLAMABAD, May 14: Some 1,600 poor patients, most of them suffering from cancer and hepatitis, are facing hard times at Pims since Pakistan Baitul Maal (PBM) is unable to provide funds for their treatment on time, Dawn has learnt.

“PBM is looking for an additional grant of Rs1 billion to meet the demands of the poor across the country,” said an official close to the development.

He said around Rs150 million were reserved for the poor patients at Pims annually. Last year, about Rs420 million were released and some 4,200 patients were on the assistance list of the social welfare office at the hospital.

“Cancer and hepatitis patients are on the list of the needy and we forward the cases after verifying their details from the consultants concerned to the PBM, which releases grants to the hospital,” said an administration official at Pims.

He said for the last two months, the number of case rejection from the PBM had gone up because Baitul Maal was short of funds due to non-release of additional grant by the government.

Mohammad Waseem, 48, a hepatitis patient at Pims, told Dawn: “For the last one week I have been waiting for my injections which cost around Rs132,000.” Waseem is administered Pegasus injection which is purchased by the hospital after it gets funds from the PBM.

Nasreen Bibi, 73, is another patient at the department of oncology and is also waiting for the PBM support for the treatment of her breast cancer.

“We have been waiting for the last three weeks and every time we visit the social welfare department they give us a next date, saying no funds have been transferred to them,” said Mohammad Hussain, an attendant of Ms Nasreen.

There is a long list of poor patients who are looking for financial assistance through the PBM, according to the administration official of the hospital.

“Every day, around 15 to 20 poor patients turn up at the office of the social welfare and everyone needs financial assistance,” added the official.

He said patients who were dependant on Zakat funds are in hundreds; however, he refused to share the exact data about the patients.

When contacted, Managing Director PBM Zamrud Khan admitted that they were short of fund, adding it was not just the poor patients in the federal hospitals but also across the country who were suffering.

“We have been released a grant of Rs2 billion by the government and Rs750 million are being spent on the poor patients across the country,” he added.

Mr Khan maintained that they had requested the government for an additional grant of Rs1 billion to meet a large number of projects managed by the PBM.

He said: “We have given around Rs620 million to poor and needy patients at the federal level during the last four years. Once the government releases us the additional funds, the concerns of the patients in the federal hospitals will be addressed.”

He claimed that hepatitis patients were already getting assistance for treatment from the prime minister’s special grant.— Imran Ali Teepu