LARKANA: ART Centre, Ratodero, for HIV positive children and adults continue to suffer due to negligence of health department bosses who have forgotten to maintain it properly as per international standards.
It was learnt here on Tuesday when this scribe talked to a responsible person who didn’t want to be named for fear of losing his job. He said that the rush of patients, especially children, was increasing day by day but only two doctors had been posted to examine the child cases, whereas, he added, each follow-up patient took over half an hour and new patient over an hour to maintain his/her record, give treatment drugs and suggest tests. He said over 50 patients attended OPD daily and two doctors cannot cope up with this increasing number of cases for which he urged the authorities to appoint more doctors for the benefit of the poor affected kids.
He said that drugs were also in short supply and the facilities also needed immediate attention from the higher authorities. He said a new 200 KVA Pole-Mounted Transformer (PMT) was urgently needed because air-conditioners were dysfunctional in the Centre and existing PMT could not carry heavy load adding solar system batteries had also become outdated which also needed replacement and regular maintenance.
He said the summer season was approaching very fast and patients could not face hot weather. He said over 1600 patients had been registered and each of them required proper examination and attention. He said three OPDs were running at the Centre each for children, male and female patients including pregnant women. He said maintaining a treatment record of every patient was also essential and a very cumbersome job.
When this scribe talked to Dr. Imran Akbar Arbani, who at the very outset detected the presence of HIV among children on a massive scale, said that there was only one laboratory technician posted from PPHI at the Centre and no substitute had so far been provided. He said if the same technician turned indisposed then the tests were not conducted and poor patients were asked to come in the next few days. He alleged that since the past two days, no test had been carried out as patients sent by him returned and complained that the technician was on leave.
He said the Centre was also facing shortage of medicines as patients who went today were sent back home without medicines adding specially Tab; Abacavir (120 mg/60 mg) was in short supply. The affected families urged the authorities to invest in the children’s health wholeheartedly or leave them alone at the mercy of their Creator, Dr Arbani concluded.
