PESHAWAR: A shortage of nursery beds at the Khyber Teaching Hospital here is hindering specialised treatment for the newborn babies.

The doctors have informed the administration that they can’t admit more patients due to a lack of space.

“We don’t have beds to admit neonates and refer patients to other tertiary care centres, and even then, if patients keep showing up, we will send them back, taking no responsibility,” a doctor told the administration in a letter, which is available with Dawn.

Paediatricians insisted that bed shortages had become a chronic issue in the province with multiple neonates admitted to single beds increasing their vulnerability to infections.

PPA calls for immediate release of funds to Children’s Hospital

“Nursery units at Peshawar’s three medical teaching institutions are overwhelmed with patients round the clock, but the shortage of beds and trained staff is compromising their treatment,” said a senior paediatrician.

He said the Bacha Khan Medical Complex, Swabi, had a modern nursery, which was recently upgraded from 15 to 46 beds and received patients from the nearby Buner, Haripur, Nowshera and Attock districts.

The doctor called for the provision of neonatal services in district hospitals like the BKMC to the relief of the residents.

He said KTH had 35 nursery beds and Lady Reading Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex 40 each, but the patient influx prevented the admission of all patients.

The paediatrician said newborns easily fell ill due to weak immunity.

“The government should strengthen health services at district level to the relief of locals,” he said, adding that often, the number of children admitted is three times more than capacity.

The doctors said the most common health issues among neonates were premature birth, low weight and oxygen deficiency, the issues, which were manageable through trained and well-equipped health workers.

They said 54 of 1,000 neonates died daily in Pakistan with half of them losing life due to the lack of treatment.

“The government should fill newborn care gaps as the neonate handling by untrained staff can cause severe health complications,” a doctor said.

Pakistan Paediatrics Association (PPA) president for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prof Mohammad Hussain said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the country’s only province without a children’s hospital.

He said the province’s hospitals had just 2,000 beds for children compared to more than 50,000 for adults.

“We are disappointed and upset by the federal government’s decision to halt funding for the Children’s Hospital, which is under construction in Peshawar and affiliated with the Khyber Institute of Child Health,” he said.

Prof Hussain complained that the federal government recently denied funding to the KICH from the Public Sector Development Programme.

“There is no dedicated children’s hospital in the province, forcing parents to endure significant physical and financial hardships to secure specialised care for their children in other provinces,” he said.

The PPA leader said the KICH’s construction had already faced delays due to the inconsistent funding and the strange and illogical decision of funding suspension by the centre threatened the work, which was in the final stage.

He urged the government to ensure the smooth and timely supply of remaining funds to ensure the children’s treatment on time.

“If this decision is not reversed, we will consider staging protests and moving the court of law for relief,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024