X-ray machines dysfunctional, no oxygen system in KP hospitals: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) Tuesday raised questions over the steps taken by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government in health sector and observed that neither X-ray machines were functional nor there was any proper oxygen system in public sector hospitals of the province.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard a suo moto case about implanting substandard stents to cardiac patients in hospitals as well as rising cases of breast cancer.

CJ Gulzar Ahmed observed that people were not appointed on merit from top to bottom and wondered as to where billions of rupees of the provincial government were going.

The court sought a comprehensive report from the federal and provincial governments regarding provision of adequate treatment and testing facilities in the government run hospitals for breast cancer patients.

During the course of hearing, Advocate General KP Shumail Ahmed Butt told the court that the provincial government had allocated Rs3 billion for breast cancer machinery as well as for its treatment adding that PC-1 of the project has been prepared.

He informed the court that the provincial government had also launched health card and people registered under the scheme would be eligible for getting medical treatment of Rs1 million.

The chief justice .however, observed that only PC-1 is prepared but no practical steps taken so far.

Justice Jamal Khan Mandokel, another member of the bench, observed that the real issue was of human resource adding that machinery worth millions of rupees had been installed but nobody could operate it. The judge observed that there should be a proper system for allocation of health card, adding that who could get that health card.

He observed that no oncologist is available in Balochistan province, adding that no open heart surgery had been conducted in the province so far. The judge wondered as to where the health budget of Balochistan was spent.

Meanwhile, the court summoned Secretary Health Balochistan on the next date of hearing and adjourned the matter.

On last hearing, the chief justice while taking suo moto notice of rising cases of breast cancer in the country had observed that 50 per cent population constitutes women hence they must be protected from breast cancer as the disease was rapidly increasing among the women folk.