KARACHI- Clerical staff’s misbehavior with patient’s attendants at National Institute of Child Health’s (NICH) Emergency Department has become a routine during the hospital’s evening & night shifts. The staff has reportedly been mishandling children that are to be treated under the emergency department. This kind of behavior has compelled the patients’ attendants to shift their children in private health facilities.
Recently, a similar incident took place at NICH, where an ailing baby was brought to the emergency department with breathing problem, and the clerical staff refused to cater the patient and appointed them to come the next day during OPD hours, as according to them, patient’s condition was satisfactory and did not require emergency treatment. 18
The parents lodged a complaint to the administrator, but were sent back to the clerical staff, upon which the staff misbehaved with the parents, which eventually lead them to shift their child to a private health care facility.
Director, National Institute of Child Health (NICH), Prof Jamal Raza was not available for comments.