Daily Times

Sir: There was a long queue of patients at Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad waiting impatiently for the Orthopaedic Surgeon outside his room, where his timings are stated as 09:00 am to12:00 pm. As I entered with my mother it was already 09:20 am and I went to take a number. This had two rupees written on it, but the man attending asked for Rs 20, which felt absurd to me, though I paid him the money and he gave me ticket number 26. It was now 09:45 am, but there was no sign of the doctor. When I asked another patient what time the doctor usually comes, I was told he comes late. In the meantime, I realised that fans were switched off, but when I asked a peon to turn them on he ignored me. It was almost 10:15 am when a tall dark figure in a nice suit and boots walked towards the room with the peon behind him carrying his white coat and some files. Finally, the peon started calling numbers and the patients went in one by one. After the fifth number was called the peon came to us and told us that the doctor was calling us inside. He prescribed some medicines to my mother, we got the medicines from the pharmacy in the hospital and left. Before leaving I turned around and saw that the patients who came before us were still standing there waiting for their turn. I felt guilty, but it was not a new thing. That’s what usually happens in government hospitals. Government hospitals are there to serve the poor, but sadly that is not happening in real life. The poor are far away from their rights, which are being usurped by the upper class, one example being this hospital. Every surgeon in government hospitals comes late, which makes patients suffer if they have no way to reach that doctor. Furthermore, the staff at government hospitals treats patients below acceptable standards of courtesy. The doctors should understand that they are highly paid to care for poor patients. Moreover, the conditions of the hospitals are also very bad as fans don’t work while doctors sit in air-conditioned rooms. Government hospitals need serious inspections; I request that the authorities do so immediately.

SOHA JAFRY

Karachi