KARACHI: The management of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) is facing multiple problems as high-up of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and Sindh government have resolved the lingering financial problems of the institution, sources at ASH told PPI on Saturday.
The number of visiting patients and their admission rate has declined at this third largest public sector hospital of the megacity due to financial crisis of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).
The hospital’s financial affairs are largely being run on limited KMC funding and philanthropic donations for last eight years.
The shortage of staff & life-saving medicines, unavailability of advanced diagnostic facilities, suspension of diet supply to admitted patients, non-operational wards, insufficient supply of water, out of order equipment and other problems have badly affected the smooth functioning of this major health institution.
Many posts of resident medical officers & consultants, staff nurses, sweepers, security guards, technicians, paramedical staff and others administrative seats have been lying vacant since long. The shortage of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and administrative staff has badly affected the performance of this healthcare facility.
Major diagnostic machines are very old and outdated. MRI machine, many ventilators, incubators and other equipment are also lying out of order while the administration is unable to get them repaired due to shortage of funds.
The 900-plus bed hospital did not receive even 10 per cent of its budgetary allocation with the result that all units of the hospital, including intensive care and emergency units face acute shortage of life-saving medicines and other essential items.
Some major departments of the hospital including Radiology, Cardiology, Urology, Plastic Surgery, Burns, and Neurosurgery departments are on verge of closure due to shortage of specialist doctors and consultants. The junior doctors are running these departments due to unavailability of seniors.
The patients are facing hardship due to the dearth of specialist doctors in hospital, but KMC administration and Sindh government authorities concerned have miserably failed to provide proper staff to the institution to improve patient care.
The financial crisis has seriously affected almost every service of the healthcare facility, which once provided not only medicines free of cost but also diet to its indoor patients. Currently, 40 per cent of the diagnostic machines at the facility are out of order.
Senior Director Medical & Health Service Department Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Dr Salma Kauser was not available for comment.
