Daily Times

Have you ever wondered how flawless Pakistan’s healthcare is? If you ever want to visit a hospital in the abode of peace, look no further as Kulsum International Hospital is there to annihilate your bank accounts and exploit the well-being of patients. Yes, you heard that right. It is not the outlook of the building that defines a hospital’s efficiency and standards; there is more to it. I speak from a recent family experience I had there when my father was admitted in the emergency ward for health reasons.

The diagnosis was made clear and he was referred to a consulting doctor on the first floor. My family was advised to keep our father under observation for the next 24 hours. Needless to say, we knew that the staff members including nurses and attendants would keep our father safe; turns out, we were wrong and for all the right reasons.

We were charged a whopping 35,000 rupees for a one-night stay keeping in mind that the staff was irresponsible in their duties of keeping my father safe and secure. The next day, my father had some anecdotes to share and we were dissatisfied to say the least. As observed previously, the referred doctor was on leave and my father was not cared for during those 24 hours. The nurses rolled their eyes when we asked to be facilitated. The most disappointing thing is that the lethargic staff members were obnoxious liars.

When one of the nurses emptied a sachet of ORS in a glass of water, I immediately intervened and questioned if the packet was sugar free or not. The nurse smiled and held the sachet firmly in her hand. She shamelessly lied to my face and said, “It is sugar free.” I was awestruck. I knew beforehand that the ORS she confidently poured into the disposable cup was in fact, not sugar free. On top of that, the visiting doctor astutely stated that the patient is fine and that there is nothing to worry about. Despite this, we were advised to keep our father intact for an additional 24 hours. It became quite evident that the hospital was a money making health facility. If that is not embarrassing enough for the hospital, I have a lot more to say.

During the initial hours, my father was not given proper food despite his condition. The staff members were well aware of his deteriorating health. Moreover, he was given only two medicines which are quite ordinary and available in the market. We could have facilitated our father with those medicines at home too but we chose not to, as we knew that the ostensible staff and doctors would be responsible enough to cater to our family needs. Those crucial 24 hours included two doses of medicine and that is all. Is that what we paid for? Pathetic and inefficient healthcare? We immediately got our father discharged and to top it off, we had to pay 5,000 rupees in addition to the amount we had paid earlier.

I, for one would not advise anyone to opt for this hospital as their primary healthcare option. The doctors test their patients’ tolerance and it is something for them to be ashamed about. My father’s physician there, Dr Nighat Bilal, herself is egotistical and ill-mannered in her response to my questions. As a person whose father is suffering, I reserve the right to know about his condition and ask relevant queries which should be addressed. Apparently, not all that glitters is gold. This experience was not one of a kind. Simply put, no qualified doctor reserves the right to toy with a patient’s life. Imagine if they were in our shoes; would they expect others to treat them that way?

Disclaimer: The article is a citizen contribution and the claims made have not been verified independently by Daily Times.