CHK facing a 50% drugs shortage, Dr Rubina not available for comments

KARACHI: Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) has been facing a shortage of medicine and surgical items for a month, causing inconvenience for visiting and admitted patients.

An official of the Pharmacy Department said that the hospital has been facing a 50 per cent shortage of medicines for the last four weeks. He told visiting, and out-patients had been compelled to purchase antibiotic medicines from private medical stores over the drug shortage in healthcare.  
 
He said CHK is one of the largest tertiary care government hospitals in Sindh, where patients from all over Pakistan come for treatment, but surgical items and medicines are not available in the institution due to the traditional lethargy of the high-up of the health department. 
 
Another hospital official posted in the Accident and Emergency Department said that CHK administration is providing 50 per cent fewer drip sets, syringes, iv cannulas, injection titan, injection paracetamol, and others in comparison with daily demands. He informed that around 600 to 800 patients were brought emergency department daily for emergency treatment. 
 
The shortage of drugs in hospitals has compelled poor patients to purchase medicines from medical stores all over Pakistan for better health facilities in the hospital.
 
The hundreds of poor patients face hardships as they are compelled to buy injections, drips, and other surgical items from private medical stores. The official said 8000 to 9000 patients visit different OPDs of the hospital each day, and patients had to stand in queues for hours to get medicines, but they do not get all medicines prescribed by doctors due to a shortage of drugs in the store. Doctors advised the patients to buy medicines and surgical items from medical stores as these medicines were not available in the hospital pharmacy.

Dr Rubina Bashir, Medical Superintendent of Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, was not available for comments.