During my recent visit to the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) in Hyderabad for my father’s tests, I witnessed the sorry state of public healthcare facilities. I was surprised at the decline even though I have been a former house officer at the same healthcare centre in 2021-22. I was aware of several issues, such as lack of intensive care beds, unavailability of blood sugar testing strips in the emergency ward, and absence of basic equipment, like oxygen masks.
At the time, I had repeatedly filed written complaints with the administration in the hope that some improvement would be seen at so point in time. What I observed during the recent visit, however, was even more alarming.
Patients’ attendants were being asked to buy blood sample collection bottles on their own from the medical stores just outside the premises. When I requested a liver function test (LFT), I was informed that the required chemicals had not been available for three weeks.
Similarly, other tests that are mandatory before any surgery could not be done as their reagents had been unavailable for several weeks. The CT scan machine had been out of order for days, and in the ENT OPD, the doctor’s examination headlight stopped working right in front of us during my father’s check-up.
The hospital receives an annual budget exceeding Rs17 billion. Where is this money going? For many poor patients coming from rural Sindh, this hospital is their only hope. Depriving them of even basic tests and treatment is nothing short of cruelty. The authorities concerned must ensure transparent utilisation of funds so that essential healthcare services remain available to people at all times.
DR SALAHUDDIN
HYDERABAD
