Discussions held over plight of contract hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Islamabad [Pakistan], February 27 (ANI): Discussions have been held over the plight of contract hospitals in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan. The health department has refused to give financial resources due to which salaries of doctors and staff could not be paid, Pakistan vernacular media Daily Pakistan Edit reported.

A large number of paramedics are also suffering due to non-payment of salaries.
The former government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had handed over 19 government hospitals on contract to various NGOs after which doctors and other staff were recruited. After the formation of the caretaker government, the health department refused to give financial resources due to which doctors and other staff could not be paid, as per the Pakistan vernacular media Daily Pakistan Edit report.

The caretaker government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should review the situation and take steps regarding the situation, as per the news report. The closure of free medicines for cancer patients in Pakistan has been discussed, Pakistan vernacular media Naibaat Edit reported. The news report expressed concern over the situation as cancer patients will not recieve free medicines.

Meanwhile, the ongoing economic crisis in Pakistan has badly hit the healthcare system where patients have been struggling for essential medicines. The lack of forex reserves in the country has affected Pakistan’s capacity to import the required medicines or the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) used in domestic production.

As a result, local pharmaceutical manufacturers have been forced to slash their production as patients suffer in hospitals. Doctors are forced to not perform surgeries due to the shortage of drugs and medical equipment. As per Pakistan media reports, the operation theatres are left with less than the two-week stock of anaesthetics needed for sensitive surgeries, including for heart, cancer and kidney. The situation might also result in job losses in hospitals in Pakistan, further increasing the miseries of people.

The drug makers have blamed the financial system for the crisis in the healthcare system by claiming that commercial banks are not issuing new Letters of Credit (LCs) for their imports. For most of the drug manufacturers, the imported materials have been held up at the Karachi port due to a shortage of dollars in the banking system.

Recently, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) called for the intervention of the government to prevent the situation from turning into a disaster. However, the authorities rather than taking immediate steps are still trying to assess the quantum of the shortage.