Healthcare needs

The deteriorating conditions of the healthcare sector of the country calls for the immediate attention of the authorities concerned. Unsanitary conditions at government hospitals are perhaps the primary causes of the worsening health of the patients admitted in hospitals. The shortage of doctors, overworked staff and lack of proper equipment has created so many problems for the people. While people who belong to affluent families can easily afford medical treatment at private hospitals, most people who belong to lower-income families have no other option but to visit a government hospital. Here, they have to remain in queues for hours to get a slip for medical examination.

Some have to go back disappointed after the hospital refuses to admit a patient due to unavailability of beds. Many hospitals claim that they don’t get enough funds from the government. The main problem is that cash embezzlement and fraud at different levels is the main reason for the shortage of funds. What the authorities should do is adopt strict checks and balances to ensure that the money distributed to hospitals is being used in an appropriate manner. Corruption and malpractices do not affect the people at the top. It is the weak and the poor who have to bear the brunt of the greed and lust of the powerful few.

Shaheena M. Yousuf

Karachi