Sindh [Pakistan], August 13 : Public hospitals in Sindh, especially in Karachi, are facing a severe crisis marked by significant shortages of beds, ventilators, and medical personnel. This situation places both residents and patients arriving from different parts of the province in critical conditions, according to a report from The Express Tribune (TBT).
The major hospitals in the city have a total of only 6,500 beds and 250 ventilators, along with a continuous lack of doctors and medical staff, leaving them poorly equipped to manage even the current local patient volume.
A resident shared her struggle to arrange gallbladder surgery for her husband at Jinnah Hospital. "I worked tirelessly for two weeks trying to get a bed for my husband, but without success. Patients from disadvantaged backgrounds endure long waits for admission at government hospitals, which causes them significant difficulties in receiving treatment," she was quoted as saying in the TBT report.
Former Director of Health Karachi Ikram Sultan explained that the crisis stems from insufficient facilities in district hospitals throughout interior Sindh, compelling patients to travel to Karachi. "Jinnah Hospital sees a high influx of patients not only from Karachi but also from surrounding cities. The number of beds has remained stagnant for decades, and there's a critical shortage of staff in these hospitals. The government must ensure the hiring of specialists in district hospitals and offer secondary care services there. Only then can the strain on Jinnah and Civil Hospital lessen," he stated.
Around 60% of the beds in Karachi's district hospitals are currently filled. While these hospitals provide basic healthcare services, they lack paramedical and nursing staff, as well as specialists like anesthesiologists, nephrologists, and pulmonologists. This shortage forces more patients towards the city's tertiary care facilities, according to the TBT report.
The influx of patients at major hospitals is overwhelming. Civil Hospital accommodates approximately 2,000 patients daily in its accident department, while 8,000 visit the outpatient department for evaluation. It admits around 200 patients each day. Head of the hospital Khalid Bukhari noted an unprecedented surge in patients from Sindh and Balochistan, stating that local patients sometimes wait one to two months before receiving treatment.
Jinnah Hospital is under similar strain. Spokesperson Jahangir Durrani mentioned that most ICU units remain inactive due to the unavailability of 50% of staff. "ICU technicians are required to operate the equipment. Because of this shortage, patients can only be admitted to five out of the 15 beds available in the chest ICU. Likewise, in the surgical ICU, only eight out of 21 beds are operational," he said, as reported by TBT.
At the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Accident and Emergency Trauma Centre, Executive Director Sabir Memon revealed that out of 500 beds, 60 are non-operational. The Sindh Government Liaquatabad Hospital, which operates with 200 beds, features four operating theatres and 16 ventilators, 75% of which are currently in use. However, it lacks a single CT scan machine.
Similar shortages also affect Lyari General Hospital, Sindh Government Qatar Hospital, Sindh Government Saudabad Hospital, Sindh Government Korangi Hospital, and Sindh Government New Karachi Hospital, as cited in the TBT report.
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