LAHORE – Medical equipment and facilities including stretchers, wheelchairs, sterilizers, oxygen tents, labour rooms and mini laboratories were lacking at a number of basic health units (BHUs) monitored in May.
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) governance monitors who visited 132 BHUs in 85 districts reported that 83 per cent units did not have syringe cutters. Another 76 per cent lacked mini laboratories, 55 per cent had no wheelchairs and 39 per cent were without stretchers.
Similarly, there were no oxygen tents at 32 per cent of the health units while 21 per cent had no sterilizers. Moreover, the monitors found that 27 per cent facilities did not have at least two maternity beds and 29 per cent lacked labour rooms but 87 per cent had delivery kits available.
Ninety five per cent BHUs had female staff to attend the female patients while an identical percentage staff had to offer basic vaccination facilities (EPI programme). Moreover, 85 per cent health facilities offered advisory services to breastfeeding mothers.
In contrast, 49 per cent BHUs did not have trained staff to treat TB patients and 39 per cent had no personnel to run the Control of Diarrheal Disease (CDD) programme. In addition, 33 per cent BHUs were without staff to run the Malaria Control Programme (MCP).
As far as occupancy rates of various staff positions was concerned, 81 per cent of the total sanctioned slots of medical officers were filled as were 92 per cent posts of male technicians and 88 per cent those of female technicians. Similarly, the occupancy rate for positions of birth attendants was 86 per cent, followed by sanitary workers (94 per cent) gardeners (97 per cent) and peons/watchmen (100 per cent).
The monitoring showed that 88 per cent of the BHUs were linked by roads; 79 per cent were housed in proper buildings and 85 per cent had boundary walls. Moreover, 92 per cent of the health units were clean, 70 per cent had arrangements for clean drinking water and about 72 per cent had residential facilities for doctors and other staff.
On the other hand, 90 per cent BHUs did not have generators for power backup; 93 per cent lacked gas connections; 69 per cent were without landline telephone facilities and 29 per cent had no washrooms with running water.