After a gap of over two months, the administration of Benazir Bhutto Hospital resumed local purchase of life saving drugs to provide them free of cost to its patients particularly in wards however a number of patients still complain of purchasing medicines from open market.
The BBH administration was not purchasing medicines and surgical disposables from open market through local purchase (LP) for long to provide them free of cost to all its patients in wards while at outpatient department, most of the patients still have to purchase medicines from open market.
The hospital administration says that it is not possible to provide free of cost medicines and disposables to all patients in wards and at OPD because of shortage of funds.
“We have started providing free of cost treatment to maximum possible number of patients in wards of the hospital however patients at OPD are being given medicines free of cost on condition of their availability in the hospital’s medical store,” said BBH chief Dr. Asif Qadir Mir while talking to ‘The News’.
He said that the old contracts of LP have been extended for another three months that has enabled the hospital administration to provide free of cost treatment to significant number of patients in wards. “The indoor patients are being provided at least over 70 per cent of treatment free of cost.” He said that the BBH has started placing orders for medicines through LP while the process of awarding new contracts on the subject is in progress.
“After award of new LP contracts, the BBH would be able to provide free of cost treatment to 100 per cent indoor patients,” he claimed.
It merits mentioning here that the BBH administration started providing all types of medicines free of cost to all its patients in the beginning of July last year on the call of Punjab Health Department that, on the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, had planned to make medication free of cost for patients in wards in most of the public sector hospitals of the province. The practice, however, could not be continued smoothly for more than four months at the allied hospitals in town.
To a query, Dr. Mir said that a number of patients at the hospital are being facilitated through assistance from Bait-ul-Mal, “however ‘Zakat’ fund has not been made available to the hospital as yet for the current fiscal year.” It is important that Bait-ul-Mal is operated under federal government while Zakat fund is provided by the provincial administration.
To a query, Dr Mir claimed that BBH has been providing absolutely free of cost treatment to patients at emergency department, Intensive Care Unit, Coronary Care Unit and operation theatres of the hospital.
It is pertinent to mention that most of the patients reaching allied hospitals belong to low and lower middle class that do not afford treatment at private clinics and hospitals. A number of patients expressed to ‘The News’ that if the provincial government cannot not afford provision of free of cost treatment to all indoor and OPD patients in public sector hospitals, then the Punjab CM should avoid making tall claims.
The BBH administration was not purchasing medicines and surgical disposables from open market through local purchase (LP) for long to provide them free of cost to all its patients in wards while at outpatient department, most of the patients still have to purchase medicines from open market.
The hospital administration says that it is not possible to provide free of cost medicines and disposables to all patients in wards and at OPD because of shortage of funds.
“We have started providing free of cost treatment to maximum possible number of patients in wards of the hospital however patients at OPD are being given medicines free of cost on condition of their availability in the hospital’s medical store,” said BBH chief Dr. Asif Qadir Mir while talking to ‘The News’.
He said that the old contracts of LP have been extended for another three months that has enabled the hospital administration to provide free of cost treatment to significant number of patients in wards. “The indoor patients are being provided at least over 70 per cent of treatment free of cost.” He said that the BBH has started placing orders for medicines through LP while the process of awarding new contracts on the subject is in progress.
“After award of new LP contracts, the BBH would be able to provide free of cost treatment to 100 per cent indoor patients,” he claimed.
It merits mentioning here that the BBH administration started providing all types of medicines free of cost to all its patients in the beginning of July last year on the call of Punjab Health Department that, on the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, had planned to make medication free of cost for patients in wards in most of the public sector hospitals of the province. The practice, however, could not be continued smoothly for more than four months at the allied hospitals in town.
To a query, Dr. Mir said that a number of patients at the hospital are being facilitated through assistance from Bait-ul-Mal, “however ‘Zakat’ fund has not been made available to the hospital as yet for the current fiscal year.” It is important that Bait-ul-Mal is operated under federal government while Zakat fund is provided by the provincial administration.
To a query, Dr Mir claimed that BBH has been providing absolutely free of cost treatment to patients at emergency department, Intensive Care Unit, Coronary Care Unit and operation theatres of the hospital.
It is pertinent to mention that most of the patients reaching allied hospitals belong to low and lower middle class that do not afford treatment at private clinics and hospitals. A number of patients expressed to ‘The News’ that if the provincial government cannot not afford provision of free of cost treatment to all indoor and OPD patients in public sector hospitals, then the Punjab CM should avoid making tall claims.
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