LAHORE, May 30: Teaching and other hospitals of the provincial capital have been facing additional financial burden of millions of rupees besides security issues since the Punjab government has decreased emergency and OPD fee to Re1 and eliminated the parking fee on hospital premises. Parking and emergency/OPD fees were major sources of income, especially for teaching hospitals, and helped them provide free treatment, medicines and diagnostic facilities to patients, sources said.

“The funds collected under the head of emergency and OPD fee (registration fee) were being used for purchase of medicines, renovation of the department (OPD), procurement of furniture and small scale equipment,” a senior official of a teaching hospital said.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif took a ‘pro-patient’ initiative last year, decreasing the emergency and OPD fee from Rs5 and Rs10, respectively to Re1 and eliminating the parking fee on the premises of all hospitals of the province.

Managements of the state-run hospitals are not comfortable and see this ‘patient friendly’ initiative as a ‘political gimmick’.

Before this scheme, five major teaching hospitals of the city -- Mayo, Jinnah, Services, Ganga Ram and Lahore General Hospital -- had been generating Rs8 to Rs10 million annually from parking lot contracts. Besides, each teaching hospital was collecting Rs2 million monthly under the head of emergency and OPD registration fee, which was Rs5 and Rs10, respectively.

After elimination of the parking fee, each government hospital had to hire 40 to 50 additional personnel, including security guards and employees.

“Mayo Hospital had been awarding motorcycle parking tender for Rs3.5 million and car parking for Rs5 million annually,” medical superintendent Dr Zahid Pervez told Dawn. He said hospital’s emergency ward received an average of 4,000 patients and its OPD 3,500 patients daily. The hospital was collecting Rs2 million a month under the head of registration fee at these two departments. He said the hospital hired 50 security guards for parking lots and they were working in three shifts.

“We have been receiving 300 patients daily at the OPD,” Jinnah Hospital Chief Executive Prof Dr Javed Akram said. He said the last bid of Jinnah Hospital’s car and motorcycle parking stands was finalised for Rs9.5 million.

“Now we are paying Rs5 million under the head of salaries annually to security guards from hospital’s account,” he said, adding that guards were facing criminal cases over car or motorcycle theft.

Initially, a source said, the chief minister turned down repeated requests and reservations of heads of government hospitals on this ‘controversial proposal’ and directed them to comply with his orders. The hospitals continued to woo the health department to convince the chief minister. Finally, the health department submitted a summary to the chief minister, seeking approval for increase in the OPD fee from Re1 to Rs10. The chief minister rejected the summary a month ago.

Now the ‘pro-patient initiative’ is affecting hospitals’ financial status, management, health system and security matters, say the sources.

Currently, only Lahore General Hospital is charging the fee for car and motorbike parking from visitors. The LGH had awarded tender of car parking to a party on a build-operate-transfer basis.

LGH Medical Superintendent Dr Muhammad Hassan told Dawn the chief minister had granted special approval a month ago to introduce this system at the institution as a ‘role model’. If successful, it would be introduced at all hospitals of the province, he said.