LAHORE - Believe it or not, the Lahore General Hospital (LGH), famous for its Neurosurgery Department across the province, due to paucity of beds and space has started treating sensitive neuro surgery patients on the floor. At least seven patients brought with brain trauma and head injuries in need of immediate treatment were made to lounge on the floor of the Neuro Emergency Department for treatment for the whole night. Such a way of administering treatment and that too for critical patients is hardly advisable, if not threatening to their lives, hospital sources say. The instances of putting two to three patients on a bed at the same time have been reported in the past and are also a widespread practice. But treating the patients with multiple injuries on the floor without any blanket or mat was unheard of before. But all such surprising things are happening at the citys premier hospital. The relatives and attendants of the patients are seen lending hands to the doctors, pumping ambu bags to provide immediate oxygen to the patients. Involving patients attendants in the treatment underlined acute shortage of ventilator machines and paramedical staff/doctors. The sources in the hospital said there are only four ventilators in the department, accommodating around 200 patients daily. With the rise in population and increasing number of accidents causing head injuries, the department is hugely overburdened with patients continue pouring in from all over the province. However, the wards and facilities were not added with the passage of time and become commensurate with the rate of increase of patients intake and incidents of neuro disease like trauma, head injuries in road accidents, fall from roof and brain tumour. Neurosurgery Department of the Lahore General Hospital is the only full-fledged department treating a large number of patients especially brain trauma patients coming from all across the province as the other teaching hospitals including Services Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram, Mayo Hospital and Jinnah Hospital were not having proper departments to share burden of the neuro patients. It is now presenting a pathetic look due to the negligence on the part of Punjab Health Department. The old and well-established department of the Lahore General Hospital is now on the verge of 'collapse, the sources said. They revealed that 30-bed neuro emergency department of LGH is accommodating no less than 200 patients daily, most of them needing urgent and protected treatment. The conditions of hospital wards have deteriorated due to infighting between senior doctors Unit No 1 and Unit No 2 respectively, the sources said. Due to the rivalry, the development and expansion plans are badly hit as each one of them desire that the development should take place through the courtesy of his office, they said. The department was set up at the LGH in 1965 with the facility of a few beds. In 1985, the then Punjab governor approved the establishment of an Institute of Neuro Sciences (INS). Last year, the sources said, a few doctors of the neuro surgery department again accelerated their efforts for the establishment of the INS and paid several visits to the offices of the then provincial minister for health and secretary Health. However, the tussle between the senior doctors not only ruined the Neurosurgery Ward, but it also damaged the prospects of establishing Institute of Neuro Sciences. A doctor commented that the medics at Neurosurgery Department, one of the most sensitive units of the hospital, had no idea how to accommodate such a large number of neuro patients without proper facilities. Hospital sources said incident of seven trauma patients treatment on the floor of the department also enraged their family members and relatives when they found them lying on the ground helplessly. Two of these seven patients were kept on ventilators due to critical condition. Interestingly, the doctors and staff nurses also provided these patients treatment by sitting on the ground. According to the sources, the Neurosurgery Department is seriously lacking basic infrastructure including equipments, beds, required number of paramedical staff/doctors and proper wards posing serious threats to the lives of the patients. Seeking anonymity another doctor said the emergency department have four ventilators only with at least 50 to 70 patients need treatment on ventilators daily. In the absence of life-saving equipments it is difficult to save a human life, he added. When contacted Medical Superintendent LGH Dr Iqbal Kazmi said the occupancy rate of the hospital has increased by 50 per cent for free of cost treatment and medicines. All the medical investigations are being done 100 per cent free of cost too, he added. About the poor facilities at the Neurosurgery Department, he said the Board of Management has recommended purchase of 40 to 50 new ventilators, which would help the doctors in reducing extraordinary situations.