LAHORE: Most government hospitals in the province are facing a great deal of difficulty while supplying medicines to the deserving patients as reports of more than 1,000 samples have been ‘delayed’ by the drug testing labs (DTLs) working under administrative control of the Primary and Secondary Healthcare (P&SHC) Department.

Lifesaving drugs, tablets, injections, syrups and other medicines, were yet to be tested by the drug testing labs (DTLs). Owing to delay in the drug analysis report, which was to be issued by DTLs, hospital administrations were yet to start supply of medicines to poor patients. Hundreds of patients coming on a daily basis from far-flung areas, hoping to get free medicines, were returning home empty-handed. The shortage of medicines was compelling the poor patients to buy expensive medicines from market.

An official of the P&SHC, on the condition of anonymity, told Daily Times that the provincial government had splashed out more than Rs 200 million to upgrade the DTL Lahore. “But the lab has failed to deliver according to desired results. “

He said a huge quantity of samples sent by teaching and other public hospital for analysis from across the Punjab, were still pending at the DTL Lahore, raising question mark over its performance.

He said hospitals had a huge stock of drugs but they could not issue drugs to indoor and other visiting patients without clearance from the DTL. “Hospital administrations are claiming that they being are forced to arrange medicines through local purchase at a much higher cost,” he said.

The official said the samples of nearly 1,000 medicines were dispatched to the DTL Lahore three months ago by the teaching hospitals but results were still pending. He said result of more than 600 samples sent by public hospitals located in provincial capital of Punjab were still pending.

Giving details, he said the Children Hospital had sent 221 samples to the DTL Lahore for analysis, but reports of 156 samples are yet to be cleared. Similarly, the Mayo Hospital, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore General Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Services Hospital, Nawaz Sharif Hospital and Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital were waiting for drug reports.