The healthcare system in Balochistan’s capital is teetering on the edge of collapse as severe shortages of medicines plague two of Quetta’s largest public hospitals — Quetta Civil Hospital and Bolan Medical Complex (BMC). Despite repeated governmental promises, these facilities are struggling to meet basic medical needs, especially in their emergency departments, where essential drugs and even basic supplies like bandages have become scarce.
Patients in need of emergency care are now reportedly forced to buy crucial medical supplies like syringes from private pharmacies due to the unavailability of resources in public hospitals. Reports indicate that a significant portion of the already limited stock of medicines is being diverted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and is allegedly being sold on the black market, fueling a man-made shortage.
Meanwhile, the situation is further compounded by an alarming rise in Congo virus cases, adding to the worries of the residents of Quetta. A new case of the virus has been confirmed at Fatima Jinnah Hospital in Quetta, bringing the total number of Congo virus patients in the hospital to three. The latest patient, a 25-year-old from Saranan in Pishin district, is currently under treatment in isolation after laboratory tests confirmed the infection.
This comes just days after a 50-year-old man was admitted to the same hospital with Congo virus. Since the beginning of the year, 41 patients infected with the virus have been brought to the hospital, with nine fatalities recorded so far. Most of the cases have been from Quetta, though patients from various districts of Balochistan have also been treated.