KARACHI:National Institute of Child Health (NICH) has been facing acute shortage of medicines for several months, while many major diagnostic tests are also not being performed in the health facility owing unavailability of funds, sources at NICH told PPI on Tuesday.
The largest children-care hospital of the province has been facing acute shortage of life-saving drugs and disposal surgical items for several months due to negligence of Sindh health department bureaucracy.
The patients are being compelled to purchase medicines from private medical stores. The shortage of medicine has badly affected the patient-care and also doubled the miseries of poor patients who come from far flung areas of Sindh for treatment of their ailing children.
The OPD patients have to stand in queues for hours to get medicines but they do not get all medicines prescribed by doctors due to shortage.
Sources further said even gloves and syringes are not available in operation theaters in the healthcare. The attendants of patients have to purchase gloves and other disposal items from private medical stores.
Some major tests are also not being carried out in the institution for several months due to shortage funds. The poor patients are being referred to private laboratories for their diagnostic tests.
Director, National Institute of Child Health, Prof Jamal Raza was not available for comment.