Several dispensaries operating without basic equipment: Fafen

Around three-fifths of the monitored 136 dispensaries lacked sterilizers and one-third were operating without syringe cutters says a Free and Fair Election (Fafen) report released on Friday. Lack of basic equipment at dispensaries has been pointed out by Fafen in its earlier reports but no progress has been made in this direction so far.
The report further pointed out unavailability of important medicines in the in-house pharmacies of 16 dispensaries. Of these, four were out of stock for a year or more while 12 were operating without them for less than a year. Fafen governance monitors who visited 136 dispensaries in 81 districts also reported low oversight by government authorities. Only 58 visits were made by government/elected officials to the monitored dispensaries, 23 of which were by EDO/Health and 32 by some other government officials.
Members Provincial Assemblies (MPAs) made two visits - both of which were to dispensaries in Punjab - while one was made by some other elected representative. Only 78 out of 136 dispensaries shared information about the sanctioned positions and posted medical staff at the health facilities. Doctors were appointed at 65 per cent of the sanctioned positions. The occupancy rate was better for other staff; female paramedical staff 77 per cent, sanitary workers 89 per cent, peons/watchmen 90 per cent and male paramedical staff 97 per cent.
Interviews with three out-patients at each dispensary showed that patients were more satisfied with the behaviour of support staff in comparison to that of doctors'; 80 per cent for doctors as compared to 87 per cent for support staff. Seventy one percent patients responded positively about the presence of doctors at the dispensaries while the presence of support staff was confirmed by 93 percent patients. As for infrastructure of dispensaries, 30 per cent were operating out of buildings in dilapidated conditions and 27 per cent did not have boundary walls. Moreover, arrangement for clean drinking water was not present in 38 per cent health facilities.