WHILE public healthcare system needs to be free of cost and provide quality medical facilities to the people, those at the helm of affairs seem to have no time to focus on such ‘petty’ things as they are clearly busy with their ‘politics’. A recent visit to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC)inKarachi-thelargest publicsector hospital in the city once again exposed this bitter reality.
It was about 8am when I accompanied my uncle to the JPMC emergency department. Upon arrival, we were shocked to find that no doctors were available to attend to any incoming patient as a change of shift was in effect. Doctors should never leave an emergency ward before the next shift officially arrives and assumes duty.
Seeking urgent relief, we approached doctors who had just finished their shift near room 11 to ask if they could examine my uncle or prescribe some medicine.Instead of showing professional empathy or even basic humanity, they completely ignored our requests and remained busy in taking selfies together as if they were having a good time at some picnic.
If such apathy and misconduct persist in a major government health facility in a city like Karachi, where is the common man supposed to go during a medical emergency? The Health Department and the JPMC administration must enforce strictprotocols to ensure continuous medical coverage to people at all times.
Ayan Abbas Karachi