PESHAWAR, Jan 29: Inadequate emergency medical services at the public sector hospitals have been adversely affecting the critically-ill patients, doctors told Dawn.

“We do not have life-saving drugs and investigation facilities, like ECG, X-ray and blood tests, required to handle patients needing first-aid,” said a medical officer at the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH)’s casualty department.

According to him, the patients suffering from the cardiac ailments are the worst sufferers.

There is also a shortage of doctors, nurses, paramedics and ward orderlies which adds to the miseries of the patients. Most of them endure the long and agonizing wait as a result.

Beds, trollies and wheelchairs are also in bad shape for lack of proper maintenance.

The city hospitals receive victims of the road accidents and fire-arm injuries, but due to non-availability of life-saving drugs, they suffer.

A doctor told Dawn that they had to refer patients with head injuries to Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC) or Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), because of non-existence of neurosurgery ward at the KTH.

Both these hospitals, the doctor said, were located a good distance off, so most patients die on their way due to profuse bleeding.

To the utter dismay of patients, the CT scan machine at the LRH mostly remains out of order.

“We do not have analgesic drugs required to relieve pain, what to speak of life-saving drugs,” said a staff nurse at HMC. “The patients’ attendants are sent to buy these for themselves.”

According to her, there was no senior doctor at the casualty department and the patients were being referred to the wards concerned of the hospitals.

Of late, both the LRH and HMC have also suffered a great deal, because of the resignations tendered by neurosurgeons in protest against the introduction of the Institution-based Practice (IBP).

Similarly, the patients brought with bone fractures also run from pillar to post to find a doctor. Most orthopaedic surgeons have also left the hospitals for the same reason. Technicians and nurses handle these cases in their stead.

The other main problem is that the casualty wards are run by junior doctors, who are transferred every now and then, and the patients bear the brunt as a result.

Three teaching hospitals — KTH, LRH and HMC — receive 400, 1500 and 200 patients, respectively, most of whom are referred to the medicine, surgery, orthopaedic and gynaecology wards.