LAHORE - Shortage of necessary drugs is adding to the woes of suffering humanity in general and to the measles patients in particular who are left with no other option except to purchase the required medicines from pharmacies outside the public sector hospitals.
After disappearing from the indoors, essential drugs have gone missing even from the emergency unit, causing the poor patients to purchase costly medicines and disposables from medical stores in the close vicinity of government hospitals.
With the measles reaching alarming proportions in the province, most of the cash strapped hospitals are not providing necessary medicines like I/V line, Inj Kalaricid, cough syrup, Vit A and Nilstat drops.
Media Secretary of YDA Dr Khurram Shahzad said that there was severe shortage of necessary medicines at the measles section of Jinnah Hospital. He said that shortage of medicines was creating problems from measles patients and the duty doctors have no other option except to ask attendants to purchase these drugs from private medical stores.
Giving details of situation prevailing at Mayo Hospital, YDA Pakistan spokesman said that about two dozens of necessary drugs and disposables were not available at the health facility and patients were asked to purchase these items from the market.
Ringer lactate, Normal Saline, Dripsets, ECG chest electrodes, Syringes 5cc, 10cc, 20cc, surgrical gloves, Inj Atracurium, Inj Lopressor, Inj Vepressor, Inj Avil, Inj Xylocaine, Lignocaine gel, Vicryl 1/0, Vicryl 2/0, Vicryl 3/0, Prolene 4/0, Endotracheal tube no 7, Silk 1/0, Inj Dormicum, Liga clips for lap chole, Glucometer strips and Hemecel are not available at Mayo Hospital.  Meanwhile, one more measles patients died at a local hospital on Tuesday, taking the overall death toll in the City to 59. So far 82 children have died in the province due to measles. Batool Fatima, 5, breathed her last at Lahore General Hospital. As many as 67 more patients were admitted to different hospitals in the City.