KARACHI: Severe staff shortages have left 28 ventilators non-functional at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), exacerbating an already critical health crisis.
Reliable sources within the hospital revealed that although ventilators are available in five key departments, the lack of doctors, nurses and support staff has made it impossible to use this life-saving equipment effectively.
Failure of non-functional fans
• Medical ICU: 6 out of 10 fans do not work
• Surgical ICU: 8 out of 24 fans do not work
• Clinical ICU: 7 out of 15 fans do not work
• Neurotrauma Room: 6 non-functional fans
• General Room: Only 1 fan works
Staffing shortages are especially acute in medical ICUs, where only 8 nurses work despite 58 licensed nursing positions. This problem is compounded by a lack of consultants and trained nursing staff, further compounding the hospital’s inability to provide adequate care.
JPMC sources expressed concern that staffing shortages are crippling the hospital’s ability to care for patients in critical conditions, warning that such negligence poses a significant threat to public health.
Efforts to address the staffing crisis have yet to yield results, leaving hospital administrators scrambling to manage the situation. The dire state of equipment utilization highlights the urgent need for intervention to restore the functionality of these vital medical resources.
This alarming situation at JPMC underscores the need for relevant authorities to take immediate steps to recruit and deploy adequate medical staff to ensure that the hospital can meet patient demands and maintain critical healthcare services.
