LARKANA: A 48-years old Japanese x-ray machine of 50 mA capacity is still working at the 100-bed Government Hospital in Naundero which was procured during Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto regime in 1973. The Digital x-ray machine has also gone out of order since the last two years.
It was learnt here on Sunday when this scribe visited the hospital for x-ray of Lumbosacral Spine (lateral view) advised by a neuro-physician. Duty paramedics said that the half-a century old machine had also developed faults and could not be able to give proper results.
When this scribe contacted the Medical Superintendent, Dr. Muhammad Sharif Pirzado, he revealed that he had written many letters to the Integrated Health Services (IHS) and District Health Officer (DHO) informing them about the prevailing crippling situation of outdated machinery, shortage of medics and paramedics, but nothing could yet been done by them to improve the services resulting losses to the poor ailing people.
He said that there was neither any qualified postgraduate general physician, pediatrician (only one who visits weekly on Saturdays from Ratodero), general surgeon, degree holder gynecologist, orthopedic surgeon, pathologist, ophthalmologist nor any cardiologist in the hospital and all patients are advised to go to Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana. He said these shortfalls were to be completed by the IHS as this hospital is being managed by them under public-private partnership. He said seven essential components were to be provided by IHS to all the healthcare facilities across Sindh which have been handed over to them including provision of Consultants, medicines, scissor operations and so forth but patients still await these facilities.
He said for proper security reasons CCTV cameras should also be installed to monitor the working of the staff and entire hospital premises. He said one portable x-ray machine had been made operational to facilitate the needy poverty-ridden patients. He said there was neither any pediatric ward as yet hence all measles affected children were also referred to Larkana for treatment nor there were any emergency treatment facilities and all such patients are always referred to CMCH which is over 20 kilometers aways from Naundero. He confirmed that the old x-ray machine has also become dysfunctional which needs repairs but he has been told that its spare parts were not available.
The residents of martyred Bhutto leaders hometown demanded of the rulers to ensure replacement of all outdated diagnostic machinery, equipment and instruments with modern machines and posting of required post-graduate doctors so that they should not run from pillar to post to get medical treatment to remain alive.