LAHORE: The patient care at the Mayo Hospital, the largest public sector health facility of the province having 2,700 beds, is at its worse duetofundsshortage.

Heads of several wards/departments, including the cardiac unit, have expressed their inability to run their departments and provide services to poor patients due to persistent shortage oflife-saving drugs and surgical items.A letter written by head of the hospital`s cardiology department Prof Dr Imran Waheed reads: `It is to inform you that the department of cardiology will not be able to perform any emergency and elective procedure due to the complete cessation of provision of all sorts of emergency and elective disposables needed for the performance of angiographies, primary and elective Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCIs), on account of stoppage of all the funds needed for these procedures by the administration and the Mayo Hospital Lahore director finance.

The letter further says `the list of all cardiac procedures, including emergency primary PCIs, will remain suspended till the disposables areprovided and funds are released for the purchase of these items.

Prof Dr Waheed warned that all kinds of cardiac treatment and other services, including all the emergency and elective procedures, would remain suspended till the provision of disposables with effect fromMonday.

`The purpose of writing the letter was to ensure that the administration and the director finance of the Mayo Hospital Lahore were well informed and aware of this state of affairs so that the department of cardiology is not held responsible for any mishap whatsoever may come, the head of the cardiac unit said.

Deputy drug controller Dr Afia Azmat of the emergency pharmacy also raised a demand for immediateprovision of some items to the pharmacy, including 3,000 blood transfusions (BTs) set and as many bladder wash sets, besides 3,300 prolene suture, 400 polysling (to help manage pain andkeep a good position of the shoulder joint), 2,500 electrodes (plastic patches that stick to the skin, placed at certain spots on the chest, arms, and legs) and 10 pelvic binders etc.

Similarly, another list contained 19 other surgical and disposable items which were frequently used in the cases related to accident at the emergency department for critical patients, not available in the stock.

Dr Azmat also sent two separate lists comprising 27 and 14 life-saving drugs and disposable items, respectively, along with thedemand, saying the local purchase (LP) of these items has been suspended for the pharmacy, causing a great deal of inconvenience to the poor patients.

The official says the situation was equally bad in other units of the hospital, including medical, anesthesia and orthopedics, where the heads have expressed grave concerns over the suspension of the supply of implants and other items.

Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mehmood, Mayo Hospital CEO Prof Nauman refused to comment on the matter.

COO Prof Faisal Masood said that the institute was facing financial liabilities of Rs3.75 billion due to the shortage offunds.

He has put blame on the govern-ment for not providing required funds saying the Mayo Hospital was being provided Rs1.2 million per patient annually.

Similarly, the institute was also facing many inherited problems, he said adding that the Mayo Hospital`s present regime was trying to get financial help from the Patient Welfare Association to run the institute`s affairs.

He also alleged that Rs9 billion had been utilised for the revamp programme but the funds required to provide healthcare to the patients were yet to be released.

Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique told Dawn that he would probe the matter to address the chronic issues as raised by the senior medics at the Mayo Hospital.