Daily Times

Severe shortage of blankets and heaters at public health facilities in Punjab is aggravating agony of patients in cold weather, as patients are being forced to bring blankets from their homes.

Well-placed source told Daily Times that the situation had become so critical that doctors were not willing to admit patients and operate upon. “We are unable to administer injections, as patients are shivering with cold,” said a doctor working at a government hospital, requesting anonymity.

The situation is even worse at the tehsil headquarter hospitals and the district headquarter hospitals), where patients are railing against inadequate number of blankets and heaters. Hospital authorities have said that there is an unexpected rush of patients due to different seasonal diseases. “In some of the wards, we are accommodating three to four times more patients than the sanctioned number, thus creating a shortage of blankets,” claimed one of the medical superintendents of a public hospital.

He said that prevailing dry spell was taking its toll on the health of the people, as loads of people were getting infected with chest-related diseases in the province.

According to health experts, continuous dry weather in the province is posing serious health implications, particularly among children and elderly people. They said that most of the patients visiting hospitals from the last few days were complaining of respiratory ailments like asthma, bronchitis and general dehydration since body fluids are depleted during respiration.

Due to the continuous dry weather, hundreds of patients visiting hospitals have complained of severe cold, cough and headache and breathing related issues.

“The dry weather is not going to last long, so we have not asked for extra blankets,” said another hospital superintendent, on condition of anonymity.

He said heaters were being used by doctors and other employees while no proper heating arrangement had been made at public hospitals.

He said that the Primary & Secondary Healthcare (P&SHC) Department secretary had written a letter to all executive district officers (EDOs) health, directing them to ensure availability of heaters and blankets for patients in the medical facilities. He said that it had been brought into the notice of the competent authority that heaters and blankets were not available for patients in various medical facilities across the province.

Meanwhile, the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department secretary has shown grave concern over the issue, saying necessary measures may be taken to provide heaters and blankets to patients in all medical facilities.

He has directed all EDOs to ensure availability of blankets and heaters at all medical facilities for which “funds may be utilised out of the budget of the health council concerned”.