LAHORE, Jan 27: Tuberculosis patients admitted to the 145-bed Infectious Diseases Hospital have not been provided medicines for the past seven months reducing their number from 100 to 60.

The hospital medical superintendent gave the information to the district coordination officer while requesting for the suspension of recent notification for ‘substantial’ reduction in the diet being provided to the patients since the establishment of the hospital by the executive district officer (health).

He told the DCO that the patients were being provided meat twice a day and chicken on meatless days along with the seasonal fruit for lunch and dinner. They were offered two eggs, 50 grams of butter with four slices of bread for breakfast daily along with one kilogram of milk.

He said the EDO had directed that the quantity of eggs, milk, sugar, bread slices and butter should be reduced by 50 per cent. The patients were to be provided meat only twice a week instead of twice a day and chicken only once a week instead of on both the meatless days. The patients were to be fed on vegetables, rice and pulses and two loaves daily twice a week instead of providing them meat daily.

He said the diet of the patients had been halved despite the fact that funds were available for the purpose. Of Rs2.4 million annual budget of the hospital, only Rs1 million had been utilized so far.

The DCO suspended the notification and directed the EDO (health) to prescribe the diet of the patients in consultation with the MS.