Daily Times

ART Centre, Ratodero, for HIV positive children and adults has been left at the mercy of health department bosses, as it has become a case of sheer neglect.

It was learnt here on Tuesday that the number of patients, especially children, is increasing day by day for whom only two doctors have been posted to examine the child cases. Owing to shortage of doctors, each follow-up patient takes over half an hour and new patient over an hour during the visit, a responsible person told this scribe, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of losing his job.

He said over 50 patients attend OPD daily and two doctors cannot cope with this increasing number of cases for which he urged the authorities to appoint more doctors for the benefit of the poor affected kids.

He said that drugs are also in short supply and the facilities also need immediate attention from the higher authorities. He said a new 200 KVA Pole-Mounted Transformer (PMT) is urgently needed because air-conditioners are dysfunctional in the Centre and existing PMT cannot carry heavy load adding solar system batteries have also become outdated which also need replacement and regular maintenance. He said the summer season is approaching very fast and patients cannot face hot weather. He said over 1600 patients have been registered and each of them require proper examination and attention. He said three OPDs are running at the Centre each for children, male and female patients including pregnant women. He said maintaining a treatment record of every patient is also essential and a very cumbersome job.

When this Scribe talked to Dr. Imran Akbar Arbani, who at the very outset detected the presence of HIV among children on a massive scale, said that there is only one laboratory technician posted from PPHI at the Centre and no substitute has so far been provided. He said if the same technician becomes indisposed then the tests are not conducted and poor patients are asked to come on the next few days. He alleged that since the past two days no tests have been carried out as patients sent by him returned and complained that the technician is on leave. He said the Centre is also facing shortage of medicines as patients who went today were sent back home without medicines. The affected families have urged the authorities to invest in the children’s health wholeheartedly or leave them alone at the mercy of their Creator.