NAUNDERO:The 100-bed Rural Health Centre (RHC) of Naundero have been facing multifarious problem which need to be resolved on an emergency basis. The RHC has been managed by Integrated Health Services (IHS) since October 2016 when it was officially handed over to them along with other hospitals of Larkana division.
Approximately 400 poverty-stricken poor patients of Naundero and its adjoining villages attend daily OPD at this center. The IHS has also failed to pay salaries to its employees across Sindh since the last three months, it was revealed to this scribe during a visit to the RHC on Saturday.
The RHC Medical Superintendent (MS), Dr Muhammad Sharif Pirzado, wrote a letter to the IHS Senior District Manager informing him about the lack of proper facilities at the RHC including acute shortage of medicines, instruments and equipment.
He wrote in his letter that even cotton and bandages are not available for injured patients and it was revealed during a visit of the deputy commissioner and a media report as he had taken over the charge in last week of February. He said even emergency medicines are not available when he checked the store of the RHC adding when the refrigerator was checked where costly lifesaving injections (ARV, ASV and Monofar) are kept these were found hot as the battery of the solar system was taken away 15 days ago to another place and the storekeeper did not take care of these injections. He said he telephonically informed about the shortage of medicines to the assistant commission after which District Health Officer, Larkana, visited the Centre who said that if medicines are not supplied by the IHS then he will arrange them for the benefit of the poor patients.
He further complained that the staff is not disciplined hence irregular. Rs30,000 were given every month as petty cash for daily expenditure but since two-three months no petty cash has been given to carry out day today affairs, he continued. Electric motor was also dysfunctional before his arrival due to which water shortage is being faced and the hospital is suffering, he added.
He said routine tests were provided to the patients before the taking over of IHS but now medicines are in acute shortage and laboratory tests are also not being conducted, reagents and biochemicals were shifted to Ratodero along with vital lab instruments and equipment.
The MS further wrote that the condition of the building is also bad as no repair and renovation work has been carried out as the IHS has no interest in the RHC and it is just passing the time adding all the instruments are in very bad condition. This city has political importance in Pakistan and IHS has to develop it at most modern level adding if IHS did not give us medicines and petty cash the service delivery cannot be improved and people will continue to suffer badly, he concluded.
The IHS on receipt of this letter immediately deputed its district manager Dr. Khalil Ahmed Katpar to resolve the issues forthwith who reached and inquired about the problems faced by the RHC. Dr. Katpar secured a list of requirements and assued the MS to resolve the issues within next week confronted by the RHC.