Government hospitals in Quetta run out of medicines amid financial woes

Balochistan [Pakistan], May 19 (ANI): Amid the financial crisis, government hospitals in Balochistan have run out of medicines, Pakistan vernacular media reported citing the Young Doctors Association of Balochistan.

In Quetta’s government hospitals, a year’s worth of unrepaired CT scans, MRI, and angiography equipment is concerning as well.

The Young Doctors Association Balochistan has urged electronic and media persons to also do a special report on the plight of hospitals in Quetta, as the top officials have also appealed to ensure the delivery of medicines in Government hospitals as soon as possible, Pakistan vernacular media Urdu Point reported.

Earlier, The Express Tribune reported that the pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan is struggling to replenish its supplies amid a shortage of essential life-saving drugs and other surgical instruments.

The economic crisis faced by Pakistan is caused by a number of factors, including the refusal of commercial banks to issue new Letters of Credit (LCs) on account of a shortage of US dollars that has impacted drug companies, as per The Express Tribune report.

Pharmaceutical companies have been facing difficulty to maintain stocks of essential life-saving drugs.

As experts have warned of the economy “sinking into near-paralysis”, top pharmaceutical firms are facing difficulty to get raw materials to manufacture drugs while being forced to reduce production as patients suffer in hospitals, The News International reported citing sources.

Due to the ongoing economic crisis, Pakistan is unable to buy basic imports, including medicine and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), several vaccines, and biological products for the treatment of several diseases, as per the news report.