Better health facilities demanded in capital hospitals.

ISLAMABAD, September 06, 2009 (Frontier Star): Social and other segments of masses hailing from the rural areas of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have demanded of the high ups of health department to facilitate the patients with desired facilities in Policlinic Hospital and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and provide medicines to all diseases. Complainants said that they had to visit the hospitals several times laboratory test, X-Ray, ECG reports and other diagnostic tests. They said several patients wait for many hours while standing in queues for their turn to come and then return to their home upset without getting any medical check up. The libratory staff is teasing the people by giving them several days to wait for the results. When patients visit for next time then they give them next dates which tortures the visitors mentally, a complainant said. They further said due to non availability of high price medicines in the Policlinic and PIMS hospitals, the patients have to purchase these medicines from medical stores in the market. Furthermore, the patients are compelled to take their laboratory tests and X-Ray form private laboratories which cost a large amount of money. They said some time laboratory staff announces the X-ray and ECG machines out of order. The poor patients and other people of the area expressed their concerns about the matter saying, The government on one hand claims to spend billions of rupees in health sector while on the other hand the poor people are waiting in queues for hours only for the tablets of headache. The medicines suggested for complex diseases are not available in the hospital stores. It is very hard for the poor people to diagnose their health problem in private medical centres while on the government level these facilities and services are not available due to which the people facing a lot of troubles in this regard.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)