LARKANA:The poverty-stricken patients who were getting medical treatment and free medicines have been badly affected due to lockdown in Sindh as 70 to 80% patients have reduced in Out-Patients Departments (OPDs) of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Larkana, alone. This 1500-bed capacity hospital is claimed to the largest tertiary care hospital of rural Sindh which caters to the needs of more than 12 adjoining districts and parts of Balochistan.
There are four CMCH Out-Patients Departments (OPD) which have been very badly affected due to lockdown. OPD is also running at Shaikh Zayed Women Hospital (SZWH), Paeds Medicine Department (PMD), Urology Department and Main OPD at Civil Hospital Block. Over 3000 patients visit daily all these OPDs but on Friday main OPD Block looked deserted due to lockdown.
In this connection when this Scribe talked to PMD Additional Medical Superintendent (AMS) Dr. Hassan Chandio, to have latest input he said previously about 700 to 800 mothers were coming to OPD for getting treatment for their kids and newborns but now their number have reduced between 100 to 150 daily. He said those parents are now coming here who have their own transport such as bikes, cars etc. He said patients who were coming from Kambar-Shahdadkot and other adjoining districts are unable to reach here because of unavailability of transport. He said lockdown has created lot of problems for the patients but saving their lives from COVID-19 pandemic is also essential.
CMCH AMS of Civil Hospital Block, Dr. Habib-ur-Rahman Soomro said that main OPD Block remained almost deserted on Friday because very few patients reached to get themselves examined. He said 1500 to 2000 poor patients reach here daily in OPD to get treatment. He said OPD of several departments is running here including Orthopedics Surgery, ENT, General Surgery, Cardiology, TB, Medicine, physiotherapy and so forth but rush of patients is non-existent due to lockdown. He said those patients who could come here by foot or on their bikes are coming and others who don’t have any means of transport are preferring to stay home or get medical treatment from their local private doctors. He said patients at HIV Treatment and Care Centre and Hepatitis clinic have also reduced due to lockdown.
Morning Supervisor, SZWH Muhammad Khan Khuhawar said, because cellular numbers of RMO and AMS were found closed, that 75% OPD patients have reduced now due to lockdown. He said previously about 400 women were coming daily in the morning to this only women hospital of rural Sindh and now only 100 are attending OPD for various ailments. He said only emergency cases are operated, examined and gynecology patients are not being admitted by the lady doctors.
Dr. Altaf Hussain Jokhio, Deputy Medical Superintendent, CMCH Teaching Block, said that previously over 200 patients were attending Urology OPD but now only 10 to 15 patients are coming daily due to lockdown. He said emergency patients are being admitted and operations are also being carried out. Likewise, he added only 25 patients arrived in Skin OPD today whereas previously over 400 patients were attending OPD.