Pakistan's health institutes rack up exorbitant rent, neglecting patient care

Lahore [Pakistan], April 30 (ANI): Health institutes of Punjab Specialised Healthcare Medical Education Department are burdening the national exchequer with exorbitant monthly rents paid to private buildings, Dawn reported.
The rent for private properties far exceeds market rates, prompting stakeholders to call for a third-party inquiry to unveil the facts.
Government documents disclose that four institutes have been paying over PKR 7 million monthly to private building owner for years. Despite available space at the health secretariat on Queens Road, private buildings are still being rented, according to officials. This adds to the public's inconvenience, as scattered government health offices in the provincial capital lead to multiple issues.
The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) offices, for instance, pay a monthly rent of PKR 3.6 million, with three head offices in Lahore alone paying around PKR 3 million. Other PHC offices across cities collectively pay PKR 6,00,000 monthly. In Garden Town, three PHC offices pay PKR 2.3 million, PKR 3,87,750, and PKR 2,80,000 respectively.
Additionally, the Multan Region office in Multan pays PKR 2,05,000 monthly, the Bahawalpur Regional Office in Bahawalpur PKR 1,06,945, and the Sargodha Region in Sargodha PKR 1,30,000.
There are ample official buildings available in these cities, but these institutes remain in rented spaces, sources claim.
Similarly, the Punjab Health Initiative Management Company, located in a rented building in Gulberg, Lahore, pays PKR 1.3 million monthly. This company has paid over PKR 80 million in rent to date.
The Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority shells out PKR 1.3 million monthly to a private building owner in Shadman. Meanwhile, the Punjab Pharmacy Council rents a private villa in Garden Town, Lahore, for PKR 800,000 per month.
Officials highlight the substantial expenses, including hefty salary packages for officials, alongside millions going to private building owners monthly. Despite this expenditure, the performance of these institutes remains questionable.
As the government spends millions on rent, patients in major public hospitals in Lahore suffer. Due to insufficient funds, these hospitals owe PKR 9 billion and face disruptions in medicine supply, diagnostic services, and surgeries, Dawn reported. (ANI)