Poor patients are in agony as they hardly get partial support from Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal and Zakat fund to purchase medicines, undergo diagnostic tests and continue their treatment. These patients, standing in long queues in front of Social Welfare Department of Pims, seem to have been denied financial aid.
Most of them told this scribe that for poor in Pakistan disease is almost a certificate for death. A patient, Saeed, who required blood transfusion during operation, being poor, with no money for costly treatment, was refused financial assistance by Social Welfare Department in Pims, saying: "The department has no funds for you".
It is tragic for a cancer patient to rush in acute pain to the social welfare window and wait in long queues from morning till afternoon for approval of medicines and tests.
Saeed said: "I have applied for Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal fund to undergo operation, but they rejected my application, saying: 'we only consider the application that is approved by the Social Welfare Minister office', while in the minister's office only a person with reference is considered, and poor persons like me are facing frustration and wandering for treatment."
He said; "The government is responsible to provide the required treatment, but my destiny is to die in painful condition with no treatment." Fahmida, a poor lungs cancer patient, standing in the same queue said: "I need Rs 35,000 for CT Scan of lungs. Being poor I do not have money to manage for two meals, what to talk about CT Scan".
Unfortunately, when she gave application to social welfare officer, he rejected her request, saying: "funds have exhausted; so the department could not consider her case".
Another patient, who was crying in pain, said: "My misery is beyond expression as I have undergone bladder operation for four times. However, Pims doctors failed in conducting a successful operation. Even no one from health ministry considered my complaint".
The government has allocated Rs 6 billion for treatment of poor patients while the patients are not getting medicines from social welfare window. When this scribe asked the social welfare department officer about complaints of the poor patients, he said: "The department has limited funds while about 25,000 patients require aid for treatment. But we are providing medicines to only 13,000 patients.
"Average medicine assistance for one patient is Rs 1,070 while cancer patients require at least Rs 10.5 million for treatment, and it is impossible for Pims social welfare administration to arrange such huge amount ", he said.
"The Pims social welfare department can only pay for X-rays and minor tests while there is no amount for blood transfusion, high level diagnostic tests and costly medicines. The patients will have to manage funds themselves", social welfare officer said.
An elderly patient lying on stretcher with fractured leg complained "I require bone marrow transplant for which I deserve financial aid. Instead, social welfare staff has said to me that there is no fund for you. After all, where the huge funding goes.? Definitely, that is embezzled by the Pims social welfare management".
Asghar, suffering from joint bone disease, needed help to undergo joint replacement operation, costing Rs 10 million. He wanted to submit his application for social welfare aid. However, the social welfare officer rejected his papers, saying: "You have not completed your documents; we have no funds; go to Bait-ul-Maal".
The patient wept, cursing the federal government and Pims social welfare management. Saira, a poor village woman, asked for medicines after dialysis, saying: "Medicines are costly and I am unable to purchase these medicines, while the social welfare staff said: 'we have shortage of funds; apply to Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal' ".
A teenager, Asia, said: "Doctors have diagnosed stones in my gallbladder, and I need blood transfusion and medicines to undergo operation for removal of these stones. But Pims social welfare officer has rejected my application".
Sameer, a heart patient aged 45 required Rs 0.1 million for heart bypass to save his life. However, social welfare department of Pims has crushed her last hope for life by refusing medical aid.
Though the government has allocated huge amount for financial assistance of the poor patients through the schemes of Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal and Zakat department, the poor and deserving patients die as heavy paper work is involved for approval of treatment fund.
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