HMC’s orthopaedic and spine building lacks basic facilities

PESHAWAR: Despite spending Rs600 million, the 7-story OPD building of the Orthopaedic and Spine Department at Hayatabad Medical Complex has been working without a proper electricity connection and basic facilities for the last two years.

Around 500 to 700 patients visit the OPD daily, and the numbers are increasing daily. A loose connection has been borrowed from the HMC main building which was only sufficient cope lights and fans.

Dr. Shahzad Faisal, HMC Hospital Director told this correspondent that the C&W constructed the orthopaedic building under the Annual Development Program.

The HMC has already made a Rs20.9 million payment to Pesco for a separate line. The hospital had paid an additional Rs23 million to complete the remaining work from its kitty.

The OPD was opened in the new building due to patient load which also provided a loose connection from the main building.

‘C&W and Pesco are responsible for lack of facilities and electricity connections. The hospital was told that the building needed a separate connection and there was no capacity in the grid, but no alternative solution was offered”, he said.

One of the doctors told this correspondent that the department was shifted to the new orthopaedic building for more than two years.

Orthopaedic OPD is extremely busy with 500 to 700 patients daily and increasing workflow with patients coming from all over KP due to increasing popularity of the orthopaedic department of HMC, but the building is yet to get a proper electricity connection and lacks basic facilities for office working.

Doctors said despite lack of facilities, extreme heat, humid conditions, and unchecked patient high flow, orthopaedic doctors are working passionately and duly regularly.

The current condition of OPD is that the air conditioners have not been electrified and the fans are inadequate per room, and the installed ones are defective.

He said no water dispenser or facility for drinking purposes was given to the doctors and patients. Extreme weather conditions and increasingly high patient flow have made it impossible to work in OPD rooms and for doctors to perform their duties.

“The building also lacks enough staff to organize and manage the crowd of over 500 patients effectively, and leads to regular mismanagement and discord between patients and health providers,” he said.

The Pesco spokesperson said the building requires an independent line for electricity and for that reason needs more time for installation.

The operation team is already working on it and trying to energize the building as soon as possible. The work is almost done and the building will be energized in a couple of days.

An official of C&W says that the major work of the building has already been completed. Only electricity issue was pending and payment was also made to Pesco few months ago. C&W staff was in-contact with Pesco staff to energize the connection as soon as possible.