Islamabad: Signifying messy state of affairs in the Valley’s rural healthcare sector, the District Maternity and Children hospital here sans adequate staff, infrastructure and medicines causing immense inconvenience to the patients.   
 The 110 bedded hospital has only four gynecologists, pediatricians, and three assistant surgeons.
 “Since its establishment, Islamabad’s lone maternity and childcare hospital has not been upgraded causing immense hardships to patients and their attendants,” the locals said.
 According to official records, on an average nearly 370 patients daily visit the hospital’s OPD.
 “The doctors are unable to do justice with the increasing number of patients. Government should depute more medicos here on priority,” they said.
 Sources said the hospital sans many medicines including Acetaminophen oral suspension, which is used as reaction drug for babies after vaccination. 
 “Parents who visit here for treatment of their new born babies are being categorically asked to purchase medicines at a particular shop outside the hospital,” the aggrieved attendants said. 
 “Some unscrupulous doctors have affiliation with medical shops outside the hospital.
 They ask us to purchase medicines only from these medical shops. Authorities should order a probe into the matter and take stringent action against the accused,” said Hameeda, a resident of Islamabad town.
 The patients are also complained of lack of cleanliness in the hospital. “The hospital generates thousands of rupees on an average per day from sale of attendant tickets and car parking. Instead of spending the money on the hospital’s development, it is used to pay salaries of illegally appointed employees here,” said a doctor wishing anonymity.
 “Over the years, not a single person has been transferred from this Hospital. They take undue advantage of this and don’t work with dedication and honesty. The successive regimes have failed to upgrade the hospital. Government should monitor functioning of the hospital to ensure better treatment to the patients,” the locals added.
 When contacted the Medical Superintendent of the hospital said some persons have been engaged on temporary basis on recommendation of various MLAs and MLCs.
 “We pay them from the Hospital Development Fund. We can disengage them anytime,” he said. However, he did not say anything about the lack of basic facilities in the hospital.  

Lastupdate on : Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 1 Aug 2012 00:00:00 IST