Qurban Ali Khushik

DADU, June 1: Hospitals in the district are facing shortage of ASV (anti-snake venom), ARV (anti-rabies vaccine) and other life-saving drugs and the shortage is adversely affecting hundreds of local people and patients coming from far-flung areas.

According to a survey conducted by Dawn, Dadu Civil Hospital, four taluka hospitals, and 32 health centres and dispensaries were facing acute shortages of life-saving drugs. Health centres in Kachho and katcha areas were also short of drugs.

Reports said that the supply of ASVs and other life-saving medicines had been stopped to hospitals which aggravated the miseries of poor patients.

The price of ASV vaccine is Rs800 but because of its shortage in government hospitals, it is being sold at Rs1000 to Rs1200, and the anti-rabies vaccine which is of Rs600 was selling for Rs1400 to 1500 at private drugstores.

A patient, Nazeer Ahmed, at the out patient department of Civil Hospital told Dawn that he was visiting the hospital since last seven days but purchasing medicines from private pharmacies.

Ali Hassan Buriro, a patient visiting Khairpur Nathan

Shah Taluka Hospital, said that the hospital administration was only supplying medicines to people with ‘connections’ and he was a poor man hence neglected.

He said that he had approached the executive district officer of health department twice but his problem was not resolved.

He alleged that health staff was selling government medicines to private stores.

The condition of government hospitals in Taluka Hospital Mehar was pathetic. Patients were complaining of non-availability of medicines.

People visiting taluka hospital Johi coming from far-flung areas of Kachho, including women, were rendered without health cover as lady doctors and gynaecologists were not available there.

A pregnant woman, Rehmat Khatoon Brohi, reached here after travelling several miles on the back of a donkey from Nain Gaj area but went back in despair as no lady doctor was at the hospital.

The district secretary of the Red Crescent in Dadu, Abdul Hakeem Leghari, told Dawn that all health centres in the district were facing shortage of medicines because of negligence of health officials.

He said that the Red Crescent was monitoring this situation. He said that they had visited health facilities in far-flung areas of the district and found neither doctors nor medicines.

He said that at a number of hospitals if there were equipment than there were no doctors, if buildings were there, ambulances and qualified staff was missing.

He said that many hospitals were not getting life saving drugs since last two months, hence the Red Crescent had decided to take over a building of a government health facility in Taluka Johi, where qualified doctors, and other staff, equipment and medicines would be supplied free of cost.

Civil Surgeon of Dadu

Civil Hospital Dr Tofique

Ahmed Memon said that he had not been provided funds since past two months and he was getting medicines from private stores and companies as loan and was giving medicines to patients.

District Officer Administration and Accounts Dr Aziz Ahmed admitted the shortage of ARVs in hospitals and said that the EDO health office had written to National Institute of Heath in Islamabad for ARVs and ASVs but the supplies had not reached yet.

He said that patients were buying ARVs in emergency from private stores, however, he hoped that after eight days ARV supply will arrive.

Meanwhile, a large number of social workers led by Nadeem Ahmed Ghaloo staged a protest demonstration in Dadu on Sunday against the EDO of health of Dadu.

Mr Nadeem alleged that due to high level corruption in EDO health office medicines were not supplied to hospitals.

He said doctors were not attending their duties as they had fixed an amount for the district office and were running their private clinics during office hours. He blamed the staff of embezzlement in petrol, medicines and repair of vehicles and hospitals funds.

He said that condition of hospitals was very poor and hundreds poor patients were deprived of basic health facilities.