Not a single dialysis has been conducted at Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Hospital (BBSH) Abbottabad in over ten years, given the state of disrepair its three dialysis units are in.

The treatment facility was set up at BBSH, the then District Headquarters Hospital, in 1996. Three machines – one catering to regular patients and two for hepatitis B and C patients – were provided and according to hospital officials, 10-20 dialyses were carried out every 24 hours.

However, in a bid to reorganise the district’s health set-up in 1998, the then chief minister Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan decided to merge the facility with the newly-constructed Ayub Teaching Hospital (ATH). Following agitation from political fronts like the Hazara Qaumi Mahaz (HQM) and intervention of then governor Lt Gen (retd) Iftikhar Hussain, the plans were rolled back. In the process of relocation, the resources that had already been diverted towards ATH were never rerouted back.

During the same period, an agreement was signed and the facility was declared a teaching hospital for students of Women Medical College which is owned by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNA Dr Azhar Jadoon. Since then the college’s administration has been funding and running the day to day affairs of BBSH.

Time and a lack of attention meant within no time BBSH’s three dialysis units were out of order. “The decision to reorganise in effect damaged the system,” said HQM activist Sardar Hafiz, adding patients from the district’s suburban areas were deprived of the essential life-saving treatment.

Outdated models

When approached, BBSH Medical Superintendent Dr Minhajul Haq said the hospital caters to an influx of patients coming in from areas like Galiyat, Sherwan and Havelian. “Population has increased by several folds and so has the number of kidney patients,” he said, adding the facility has fully-equipped wards and trained staff – practically everything other than a running dialysis centre.

“Repairing the three units that we have is of no use. The models are outdated,” he said. “The market price of a single new machine hovers at Rs1.2 million.”

The director said the hospital could treat at least 30 kidney patients every day provided new machines are available.

According to Haq, proposals have been tabled with the provincial health minister for three new units and there is a likelihood the request will be processed within a few months.

In addition to new equipment, the hospital will also require funds to incur its running costs ranging between Rs2,000 to Rs2,500 for every dialysis, the MS said.

The alternative

The only other hospital that conducts free dialyses in the district is ATH which is situated at a distance from BBSH. Incidentally, ATH has about 16 dialysis units out of which only six are functional.

ATH Director Dr Siddiq Rehman said the hospital conducts between 12 to 18 dialyses daily and efforts are afoot to repair the dysfunctional units.

In the meantime, private hospitals remain the last resort for those who can afford the cost. For those who cannot, divine intervention is perhaps the only awaited solution.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2015. 

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