Patients across South Punjab face hardship amid growing burden on limited facilities
Nishtar Hospital. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
MULTAN:
Patients requiring elective ENT procedures at Nishtar Hospital are facing severe delays, with waiting periods stretching to over a year due to an overwhelming patient load and limited facilities.
According to sources, routine surgeries such as tonsillectomy and septoplasty are being scheduled months in advance, leaving patients from Multan and across South Punjab in distress.
Many patients travel from remote areas of southern Punjab, interior Sindh, Balochistan and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, only to return disappointed after being given distant surgery dates. Healthcare observers note that the hospital, which has been operational for over 70 years, continues to rely on a single ENT ward with just 48 beds.
Despite a significant rise in population and improved road infrastructure enabling easier access from far-flung regions, the facility has not been upgraded to meet growing demand.
Although the ENT department exists at Nishtar Hospital II, it remains largely underutilised due to staff shortages.
Key units, including the intensive care unit (ICU), are reportedly non-functional because of a lack of personnel, further increasing the burden on the main hospital. Patients and their attendants have expressed frustration over the prolonged delays, urging the government to take immediate notice and allocate additional resources.
“We come from far-off areas hoping for timely treatment, but instead we are given dates months or even a year later,” said one attendant.
Responding to the concerns, a spokesperson for Nishtar Hospital stated that the ENT department is operating at full capacity and that surgeries are scheduled strictly on merit.
