Syed Ali Shah:
Another example of bad governance in Balochistan, Rs.7 billions allocated for purchase of hospital machinery and medicines lapsed by the provincial health department. This was revealed by the Balochistan Health Minister, Syed Ehsan Shah while addressing doctors and paramedics at civil hospital Quetta.
“With heavy heart, I am going to share this news that Rs.7 billions lapsed by the department”, Mr. Shah told senior doctors and professors. He said the amount was allocated by the provincial government to purchase hospital equipment and medicines for the poor and needy people.
YDA had demanded allocation of funds for government hospitals
The Young Doctors Association (YDA) had also staged protest demonstrations to allocate substantial funds by the government for hospitals in Balochistan. “Two and half billion rupees were allocated on the request of YDA”, Mr. Shah told the participants of the function.
The procurement committee of the health department has also been inactive for a year, the provincial health minister admitted.
The procurement committee failed to utilize the funds
The procurement committee only held meetings and did not purchase, lamented the provincial health minister. The transfer of 7 secretaries in one year had an impact on the health department, he noted.
It is regrettable that work could have been done in government hospitals for 7 billion rupees, which was not done, the provincial health minister stated.
No medicines in government-run hospitals across Balochistan
Government-run hospitals in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan have been without medicines for the last three months. Poor and deserving patients remained the worst sufferers of the shortage of medicines in government-run hospitals.
“I have been forced to purchase costly injections for my ailing diabetic patient”, Abdul Nabi, a resident of Pishin told Daily Quetta Voice. He lamented that the patient was a rickshaw driver and had no money to purchase diabetic injections.
