Drug shortage at Sindh’s largest maternity care facility

Karachi: Sobhraj Maternity Hospital is facing an acute shortage of medicine since several months due to which patients have been forced to purchase medicines from private medical stores. 

The largest maternity healthcare center of Sindh being run under Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has been facing an acute shortage of medicines for months and patients have compelled to purchase medicines from outside hospital premises. 

A senior official of hospital on condition of anonymity said that the shortage of medicine has badly affected the performance of Sindh’s largest maternity hospital. He said that the hospital was up-graded in 2002 and has now become the biggest hospital of the province that provides maternal treatment facilities to thousands of women annually. He said KMC administration has not been able to provide drugs to hospital since long due to its financial crises.  

The shortage of medicines in hospital compelled poor patients to purchase expensive medicines from private medical stores imposing an extra burden on their limited earnings.  He said over 400 patients visit the hospital’s Outpatients Departments (OPDs) daily. 

He said that maternity medical treatment is very costly in private facilities, and government-run hospitals provide free of cost medical facilities to the needy and deserving of the society.
Deputy Medical Superintendent, Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, Dr Mumtaz Bashir was not available to comment on the current situation.