Critical care in crisis at Lahore’s Mayo Hospital

LAHORE: Over a century-old Mayo Hospital is plagued by shortage of medicines, closure of several wards, suspension of diagnostic facilities and faulty medical equipment.

Documents and hospital officials claim that most of the diagnostic facilities, wards/departments, and operating theatres have been inoperative for the last six months or so.

According to a report, 73 ACs in the hospital are not functioning due to negligence on the part of the additional medical superintendent (works), causing an ordeal for patients and their attendants in hot and humid weather.

Some video clips that emerged recently also showed the patients and their attendants bringing pedestal fans from their homes when they found the ceiling fans either missing or non-functional in the wards.

An official said the CT Scan machine, the most critical diagnostic equipment of the institute, was not functioning and patients were referred to the private sector to avail the expensive test at around Rs10,000.

Sole urology autoclave out of order; video clips show attendants bringing pedestal fans in wards; four of six projects revamped: COO

He said many critical indoor patients were moved to the private centres out of hospital on stretchers or wheelchairs to get the CT scan done. Another CT Scan machine installed in the emergency block had not been functioning for the last many months.

The official said the historic AVH block housing dengue ward and dozens of private rooms and the ENT department had been lying shut down for the last one year or so.

Similarly, two out of three spinners were also dumped in the store due to technical faults and the gowns and bed sheets of the patients were being washed ‘traditionally’.

The patients were forced to wear ‘infected’ gowns when they were taken to the operating theatres for surgery, creating a potential risk to their health, he said adding that two out of three dryers of the Mayo Hospital were also non-functional due to suspension of the gas supply.

The sole autoclave of the urology department was out of order while the X-ray machine of the same facility had been lying in the store for the last five years or so.

The hot air oven has been an essential equipment to sterilise laboratory objects and samples and it had been dysfunctional for the last many months, exposing the patients to infections during treatment.

He said the hematology analyser is used to run tests on blood samples and it had also been out of order since May 1 this year and no attention was given to get it repaired.

The official said the paeds medicine and surgery wards had been shut down for the last six months or so and the minor patients were getting treatment in some other units.

Recently, the multi-story emergency block was upgraded and handed over to the administration but its operating theatres were yet to be made functional. The critical patients landed in the emergency ward were taken to the surgical tower for operations.

He said the only TB ward of the hospital had been lying closed for the last many months and the patients were asked either to wait for completion of the renovation or sent to other wards to get treatment in a very odd situation.

Recently, the AMS admin, in his official letter warned that the persistent seepage and spillage after the revamping of A&E Block requires immediate attention to ensure the safety of the patients and staff working there 24/7.

“The occurrence of the seepage and spillage poses a serious risk to the overall hygiene and functionality of our department. Not only does it compromise the cleanliness standards essential for the medical environment but it also creates potential hazards for patient care and staff operations”, reads the letter.

Mayo Hospital COO Faisal Masood said four out of six projects have been revamped, three inaugurated and paeds surgery is yet to be completed. He said emergency department is functional except certain theatre issues which are solved on a priority basis.

“Though eye OPD is fully functional, we are trying to make the operation theatres completely operative”, he said adding that lifts, generators and ACs are yet to be installed in certain areas.

He said the institute has raised four anaesthesia machines on donation and improved orthopaedic theatres despite no support from the government.

“We have centralised stores and are now conducting biometric verification,” the COO said.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2024