I RECENTLY visited Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, along with my father who is a diabetic. He noticed that his toe had suddenly started getting black, and we feared that gangrene was probably setting in. We rushed to the Bolan Medical Complex, which is considered by the locals to be the best hospital in the province. But, for us, the visit turned out to be a tale of horror.

When we reached the emergency room at around 6pm, there was no doctor on duty. After an hour of rigorous search, we found a doctor who directed us to go to the laboratory for blood test. When we reached the laboratory, the technician told us that he did not have a syringe, and we had to buy one from elsewhere. Desperate for medical assistance, we bought a syringe and returned to the laboratory only to get yet another shock; a bigger one. This time, the technician told us that he actually did not know how to draw a blood sample. We were shocked and disappointed to the core.

Unfortunately, if this is the condition prevailing in the leading government hospital of the provincial capital, it is not too hard to imagine the state of affairs in other hospitals across the province. We know that the people of Balochistan have remained deprived of their basic rights, but the extent of this deprivation, exp- erienced first-hand, was an eye-opener for us.

It is high time the provincial as well as federal governments played their role in providing adequate healthcare facilities to the people. Instead of blaming each other for the existing discrepancies in the system, both governments need to work together.

Uzair Bukhari
Multan

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2024