Funding Denial
ISLAMABAD: The Finance Division’s recent denial of the federal health ministry’s plea for an additional Rs11 billion could plunge five public sector hospitals in the federal capital and Lahore’s Shaikh Zayed Hospital into a state of paralysis. The repercussions include halted salaries for employees, with nurses at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) staging protests for over a week.
The imminent closure of testing labs looms large, as dwindling testing kit supplies leave them unable to operate. Radiology tests are being declined due to the unavailability of films, and patients are being deprived of medicines as outstanding tender amounts remain unpaid to companies.
Among the adversely affected hospitals and departments are PIMS, Polyclinic, Federal General Hospital, National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM), along with dispensaries, basic health units, and ancillary departments of the health ministry. Shaikh Zayed Hospital Lahore, reliant on funding from the federal health ministry, is also under threat.
The Finance Division, referencing IMF preconditions, conveyed to the health ministry that funds would only be released in the event of a disaster.
This rejection is anticipated to trigger a virtual disaster within hospitals, resulting in acute shortages of medicines, testing kits, and essential medical facilities.
Employees, including doctors and nurses, confront the prospect of halted salaries, raising concerns about the overall functionality of the healthcare system.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Ministry of National Health Services proved futile. As the situation unfolds, the denial of additional funds poses a critical threat to the already strained healthcare infrastructure, jeopardizing patient care and essential medical services in the coming months. Overall, Funding denial places five public sector hospitals in the federal capital and Shaikh Zayed Hospital on the brink of a standstill.
