SIALKOT, May 17 A number of patients and their heirs protested against the non-availability of doctors at Daska THQ Civil Hospital here on Sunday and chanted slogans against the management for making no alternative power supply arrangement during loadshedding.

According to the hospital management, it does not have funds to buy petrol for the sole generator due to which the scheduled operations are being delayed. The district government has not released even a single penny to buy petrol for the last two years as Rs0.5 million are required annually for this purpose. Two ambulances of the hospital are dysfunctional owing to non-availability of fuel and patients are asked to arrange private ambulance.

The protesters told newsmen that they were experiencing 'inhuman' treatment here as doctors did not bother to stay at hospital during power outages.

According to a recent report compiled by Daska DDO (Revenue) Fiaz Ahmad Mohal, most of the doctors are available at the hospital only for three hours.

The protesters demanded immediate suspension of the medical superintendent of the hospital and other respective officials of the health department for their alleged height of negligence.

It was learnt that the hospital laboratory does not have arrangements for conducting hepatitis, HIV and other blood tests and patients are asked to go to private labs.

Meanwhile, Daska Civil Hospital Patients' Welfare Society senior vice president Zafar Malik has expressed his grave concern over the sorry state of affairs.

He has urged Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Gujranwala Commissioner Khalid Masud Chaudhry to take notice of the affairs at the hospital.

CHAMBER The Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has announced a donation of Rs1 million for Swat's internally displaced persons (IDPs).

SCCI President Hassan Ali Bhatti told newsmen here that the local business community would contribute 0.01 per cent of their total export proceeds to the Punjab Chief Minister's relief fund.

Meanwhile, the 'Sialkot relief fund' has also been set up to collect donations.