It is noted that the number of patients in the paediatrics unit is increasing day by day, but the administration has not moved the government for expansion of the unit. —Dawn Photo

FAISALABAD More than 1,000 infants have died in the children ward of the Allied Hospital in the last six months. Absence of basic facilities in the ward, overcrowding and inefficient administration are some of the key problems to be blamed for these deaths, it is learnt.

The neonatology ward of the hospital is a subdivision of the 78-bed paediatrics ward. Other subsections of the ward are intensive care, nephrology, haematology and gastroenterology. The neonatology ward, which was set up in 1986, has only 17 beds. Though the administration claims the hospital provides emergency, preventive and curative services to children of Faisalabad and suburbs round the clock, the ground reality is otherwise.

Even 23 years after its inception, the establishment is still not in the government record because of the lethargic attitude of the hospital administration.

The administration claims the neonatology department has central oxygen supply, incubators, pulse oximeters, cardiac monitors and phototherapy units, but the sources say the department has five incubators and only two of them are working.

The department has two ventilators and one is out of order for the last many months. The echography machine is also broken. The ward accommodates 50 to 70 patients every day and five nurses work here in three shifts each.

According to standard procedures, one nurse is required for five patients, but in the neonatology only one nurse looks after 12 to 14 newborns. Under these circumstances, 55 per cent of the children have to be discharged against the medical advice. The department needs at least 12 ventilators and 25 incubators.

It is noted that the number of patients in the paediatrics unit is increasing day by day, but the administration has not moved the government for expansion of the unit.

Sources said a couple of days ago four infants died in the ward and the incident panicked the provincial as well as the local administration. The commissioner formed a committee consisting of EDO (Health) Dr Mohammad Siddique and Dr Zahid Yasin Hashmi. As both committee members were officials of the health department, they submitted their report to the commissioner without identifying those responsible for the deaths.

On the contrary, district coordinator on health Sheikh Ijaz Ahmed conducted an inquiry on his own and held the administration responsible for the deaths.

Talking to Dawn, Ahmed said the provincial government asked the hospital a couple of months ago to submit a report on the missing facilities, but the hospital administration did not respond. He said the hospital administration and head of the children ward were responsible for the missing facilities at the ward. He said he had submitted his report on upgradation of the hospital to the government.

Allied Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Bashir Ahmed said the government was approached a number of times for funds to upgrade the hospital, but to no avail. He said that four to five children were dying at the hospital daily and added that overcrowding increased the mortality rate.

He said overcrowding was a serious problem, as up to three children had to share a bed sometimes. He said another reason behind the high mortality rate was admission of patients to the hospital at the last stage.