AIRLINK 189.36 Increased By ▲ 1.33 (0.71%)
BOP 11.10 Decreased By ▼ -0.76 (-6.41%)
CNERGY 7.28 Decreased By ▼ -0.26 (-3.45%)
FCCL 36.65 Decreased By ▼ -1.14 (-3.02%)
FFL 14.95 Decreased By ▼ -0.29 (-1.9%)
FLYNG 26.19 Increased By ▲ 0.66 (2.59%)
HUBC 130.89 Increased By ▲ 0.74 (0.57%)
HUMNL 13.47 Decreased By ▼ -0.14 (-1.03%)
KEL 4.28 Decreased By ▼ -0.07 (-1.61%)
KOSM 6.08 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-1.46%)
MLCF 45.94 Increased By ▲ 0.26 (0.57%)
OGDC 201.86 Decreased By ▼ -4.57 (-2.21%)
PACE 6.12 Decreased By ▼ -0.26 (-4.08%)
PAEL 38.36 Decreased By ▼ -1.95 (-4.84%)
PIAHCLA 16.73 Decreased By ▼ -0.22 (-1.3%)
PIBTL 7.94 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-1.12%)
POWER 9.86 Decreased By ▼ -0.17 (-1.69%)
PPL 173.46 Decreased By ▼ -5.38 (-3.01%)
PRL 34.73 Decreased By ▼ -1.63 (-4.48%)
PTC 23.95 Decreased By ▼ -0.44 (-1.8%)
SEARL 101.74 Decreased By ▼ -1.42 (-1.38%)
SILK 1.07 No Change ▼ 0.00 (0%)
SSGC 32.70 Decreased By ▼ -3.54 (-9.77%)
SYM 17.93 Decreased By ▼ -0.30 (-1.65%)
TELE 8.14 Decreased By ▼ -0.24 (-2.86%)
TPLP 12.02 Decreased By ▼ -0.14 (-1.15%)
TRG 67.40 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.1%)
WAVESAPP 11.80 Decreased By ▼ -0.21 (-1.75%)
WTL 1.52 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-3.18%)
YOUW 3.90 Increased By ▲ 0.01 (0.26%)
BR100 11,819 Decreased By -87.9 (-0.74%)
BR30 35,000 Decreased By -554.1 (-1.56%)
KSE100 112,085 Decreased By -478.8 (-0.43%)
KSE30 34,946 Decreased By -148 (-0.42%)

LAHORE: After the surge in value of US dollars, the scarcity of life-saving drugs and surgical instruments was observed in hospitals across the city.

In Lahore medicines market, the people are complaining non-availability of insulin, Hepatitis-B vaccine, eye drops, medicines used by heart patients and other daily use drugs.

Naveed Ashraf, a salesman at a wholesale medicine shop at Lohari market, told this scribe that they are not receiving medicines stock from distributors; hence they are unable to meet the demand. He disclosed that medicines that are imported including ones for heart are not available in the local market.

The owner of a drug company on the condition of anonymity said due to the non-availability of raw materials, medicines are not being manufactured. “We will run out of healthcare equipment in a matter of weeks. Medical labs are also in short supply,” he said.

Health experts said the ongoing dollar shortage is posing threat to the country’s medical profession. Major surgeries - knee replacement and hip replacement which require a lot of material - are being deferred and medical equipment is being reserved for emergency surgeries, they said.

The caretaker provincial health minister Dr Javed Akram in a meeting with the health professionals including Prof Asad Aslam Khan, Dr Yadullah and others said caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab Mohsin Naqvi wants to facilitate the people of Punjab and is spending all his energies to improve the health sector. He said that credit goes to the caretaker for providing 24/7 facility of primary angioplasty in cardiology hospitals to heart disease patients in Punjab. “We are trying to improve the conditions of government teaching hospitals in Punjab. Facilitating the patients coming to the government teaching hospitals of Punjab is the most important thing for us,” he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

Comments

Comments are closed.