Low OPDs attendance witnessed in city hospitals      

KARACHI: Low OPD attendance was observed at the Sindh Health Department and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) hospitals compared to regular working days after heavy rain in different parts of Karachi.

The patient attendance at the out-patient departments of major hospitals, including the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, National Institute of Child Health, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi Institute Heart Diseases, Lyari General Hospital, and other districts hospitals remained very low due to the heavy rain and unavailability of public transport.

The attendance of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff also remained thin compared to regular working days in all KMC and Sindh government hospitals despite the rain emergency declared in all city hospitals by concerned authorities.

Similarly, medical and diagnostic services in major healthcare centers have also been affected due to the low turnout of hospital employees. All public-private transport services remained thin on the roads compared to normal days as well that compelled hospital staff to remain in their homes. The numbers of the medical staff of major hospitals could not reach their respective institutions due to the shortage of transport.

Medical staff, including doctors, paramedical staff, nurses, and other administrative staff, remained absent from their duties despite the high alert declared by the Senior Director, Health & Medical Services Department, Karachi Municipal Corporation, and Sindh Health Department.

-MN Report