In Quetta’s government hospitals, a year’s worth of unrepaired CT scans, MRI, and angiography equipment is concerning as well…reports Asian Lite News
Amid the financial crisis, government hospitals in Balochistan have run out of medicines, Pakistan vernacular media reported citing the Young Doctors Association of Balochistan.
In Quetta’s government hospitals, a year’s worth of unrepaired CT scans, MRI, and angiography equipment is concerning as well. The Young Doctors Association Balochistan has urged electronic and media persons to also do a special report on the plight of hospitals in Quetta, as the top officials have also appealed to ensure the delivery of medicines in Government hospitals as soon as possible, Pakistan vernacular media Urdu Point reported.
Earlier, The Express Tribune reported that the pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan is struggling to replenish its supplies amid a shortage of essential life-saving drugs and other surgical instruments.
The economic crisis faced by Pakistan is caused by a number of factors, including the refusal of commercial banks to issue new Letters of Credit (LCs) on account of a shortage of US dollars that has impacted drug companies, as per The Express Tribune report.
Pharmaceutical companies have been facing difficulty to maintain stocks of essential life-saving drugs.
As experts have warned of the economy “sinking into near-paralysis”, top pharmaceutical firms are facing difficulty to get raw materials to manufacture drugs while being forced to reduce production as patients suffer in hospitals, The News International reported citing sources.
Due to the ongoing economic crisis, Pakistan is unable to buy basic imports, including medicine and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), several vaccines, and biological products for the treatment of several diseases, as per the news report.
Anger over financial crisis
The Balochistan government has expressed anger over the financial crisis, Dawn reported. The Balochistan government has claimed that the financial crisis has been caused by Pakistan federal government’s action to not pay the province’s constitutional share in the NFC award.
The cabinet meeting, chaired by Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo on Tuesday criticised the “negative attitude of the federal finance and planning ministries,” as per the Dawn report. During the meeting, it was informed that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced a grant of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 10 billion for the rehabilitation of flood-affected people. However, the money was yet to be released after 10 months, as per the Dawn report.
Pakistan’s PM had ordered the finance and planning ministries to address the issue, however, nothing has been done so far. Balochistan ministers said that the negative attitude of the federal government was causing resentment and frustration among the people in the province, as per the news report.
The provincial government has decided to lodge a strong protest with Islamabad over the issue, Dawn reported. A delegation headed by the Balochistan CM and comprising the provincial ministers, senators, MNAs and leaders of the parliamentary parties will raise the issue with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif.
Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee, Balochistan University, Teachers, Officers and Employees Association in May called on the authorities to release PKR 1.11 billion by June 2023 in order to pull the University of Balochistan out of the financial crisis, Business Recorder reported.
Professor Fareed Khan Achakzai and Shah Ali Bughti, leaders of the Joint Action Committee, Balochistan University, Teachers, Officers and Employees Association raised the demands while addressing a press conference at Quetta Press Club, as per the Business Recorder report.
They said that academicians, officers and employees of the university had not received their monthly salaries for the past three months. They said that they have been on strike for the past one and a half month, calling on the authorities to get their monthly salaries released. They, however, said that the authorities were not paying attention to their demand.
Earlier in April, it was reported that Balochistan University was facing lots of financial crises and all the departments have been closed due to the non-availability of funds, Pakistan vernacular media Jang reported.
The university’s teaching and non-teaching staff were also on strike due to non-payment of salaries. The oldest university of Balochistan was in extreme trouble while Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo has been claiming about revolutionary steps in the education sector, as per the news report.
The university’s annual expenditure is more than Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 3 billion whereas the current deficit is more than PKR 1 billion and there is a need to find out a permanent solution as soon as possible, according to Jang. (ANI)
