KARACHI: Patients and their attendants continue to suffer due to severe mismanagement and negligence in the Radiology Department of Jinnah Hospital Karachi.
According to details, the daughter of a senior journalist was brought to the hospital’s emergency ward last night. Doctors recommended an urgent ultrasound, but the patient was told it would only be conducted the next morning. After waiting for more than five hours the following day, the family was again asked to return the next morning for the procedure.
Patients and their attendants expressed frustration, saying that favoritism and influence are rampant inside the radiology department, where those with personal connections are given priority while ordinary patients are forced to wait endlessly.
This mismanagement is not only causing distress to patients in critical condition but is also eroding trust in one of the country’s largest public-sector hospitals. Families have demanded that the Sindh government and hospital administration take urgent notice of the situation and ensure fair and timely medical services for all.
This scribe contacted the Executive Director of JPMC, Prof. Dr. Shahid Rasul, who is a surgeon but currently occupies an administrative post instead of performing surgeries and attending OPDs, for his version. However, he did not respond.
When contacted, hospital spokesperson Mr. Jahangir Durrani said that the Head of Department has been informed about the complaint and an inquiry will be conducted to ascertain the reason for the negligence. He further agreed that an ultrasound facility should be available in the emergency department to facilitate patients. While ultrasound machines are already installed in the ER, he admitted that the absence of a sonologist during night shifts remains a major hurdle due to lack of staff.
The spokesperson also shared statistics highlighting the performance of the Radiology Department from July 2024 to June 2025, showing that a total of 73,304 CT scans and 34,392 MRIs were conducted during this period. According to him, these figures reflect the department’s workload and service delivery despite limited resources.
