Acute shortage of medicines in Spencer Eye Hospital

Spencer Eye Hospital run by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation(KMC) is facing acute shortage of medicines since five years, while major diagnostic machines are also lying out of order and hospital management is unable to repair these equipment due to funds shortage, it was learned on Tuesday. The Spencer's Eye Hospital was once considered one of the most reputed hospitals in the country for eye diseases. But due to shortage medicines and unavailability of diagnostic facilities in the hospital, the turnout of patients has drastically dropped since last five years.
The hospital's administrative official said there is an acute shortage of medicines in 50-beded hospital, while its diagnostic machines are outdated and some are lying out of order since long as the hospital management is unable to get these equipments repaired due to funds shortage.
He said some major diagnostic machines, including Fico Machine, Yag Laser, Green Laser and others, are lying out of order since long. He said around 200 patients visit different OPDs of hospital every day where they are being directed by doctors to get drugs from medical store as there is no medicine in the hospital. He said Spencer's Eye Hospital offers all OPDs services to patients who are suffering eye diseases in its limited resources and there is no shortage of doctors, paramedic and nurses in hospital.
The hospital administration has sent several requests to high ups of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's Medical and Health Services Department for provision of drugs and release of funds for repairing diagnostic machines to improve patients care in healthcare but no positive response could be received as yet in this regard.
Vice President, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Health Organisation Sindh Nasir Khan demanded of the government to provide medicines and issue funds for repairing diagnostics machines so as to improve patients care in hospital. He said Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Health Organisation is providing glasses free of cost to poor patients from Zakat funds, but need more support from government side. Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's Senior Director Medical and Health Services, Dr Salma Kausar, said there is acute shortage of drugs in KMC hospitals since last four years, while KMC's Medical and Health Services Department had allocated funds for purchase of new diagnostics machines on replacement of outdated machines.