MUZAFFARGARH: Over three dozen kidneys patients protested in front of the DHQ hospital after they were turned back and denied the dialysis facility here on Friday.

They claimed that a single session of dialysis costs over Rs5,000, which they could not afford.

DHQ hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Mehr Iqbal said that more than 600 patients had been registered at the hospital, while the health director general had ordered to conduct dialysis of only 10 patients daily and cut the budget allocated to the treatment.

Dialysis in-charge, Dr Maqbool Alam, said the previous government had increased the budget and also ordered registration of patients needing the treatment. But now they had been told to turn back patients requiring dialysis and facilitate only a certain number of them daily. On Friday, when patients were sent back without treatment, they protested against the administration.

The Punjab government decided to slash funds for the sole hospital in the district. Officials claimed that Dr Munir Ahmed, the health service director general, on Thursday held a video call with heads of various hospitals, including Dr Alam, during which he said the Muzaffargarh DHQ hospital’s funds for dialysis would be slashed by over 80pc.

According to Dr Alam, they could now conduct free dialysis for only 10 patients daily with the remaining funds. Earlier, over five dozen patients were availing the facility daily in three shifts. He said the government could not bear the expenses any further. Dr Alam said patients had to be referred to Nishtar Hospital in Multan and only emergency cases would be facilitated here.

Sources said that Multan’s Nishtar Hospital had run out of space for kidney patients requiring a dialysis.

MPA Sardar Abdul Haye Dasti said that he would raise the issue in the assembly and vowed that funds for dialysis of the poor would be increased.

Dera Ghazi Khan Commissioner Mr Tahir Khursheed said that he was looking into the matter and will discuss the budget with the health authorities.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2019