Government hospitals across Pakistan continue to face a severe shortage of ventilators, leaving critically ill patients without timely access to life-saving treatment, according to a report by Dawn. The report said the problem has persisted for more than two decades, placing immense pressure on the country’s public healthcare system.

The issue was highlighted after a journalist reportedly died at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad because no ventilator was available when doctors recommended intensive care support.

Journalist Dies Amid Ventilator Shortage

According to the report, journalist Abid Raza Kazmi suffered a stroke and was admitted to the emergency department of PIMS before being shifted between medical and surgical wards.

His relative, Asim Raza Kazmi, said doctors later advised that the patient be placed on a ventilator, but no unit was available in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

The family reportedly attempted to transfer him to a private hospital, but he died before the move could be completed.

Dawn reported that similar incidents have occurred repeatedly in government hospitals because of the shortage of intensive care equipment.

Hospitals Struggle With Capacity

Former Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan had attempted to manufacture ventilators domestically during the Covid-19 pandemic, but efforts were not sustained after his tenure.

He said locally produced ventilators were capable of treating around 60 per cent of patients and called for partnerships with Chinese companies to establish domestic manufacturing of advanced medical equipment.

According to the report, standard ventilators cost between PKR 3 million and PKR 5 million, while the financial burden extends beyond procurement to include maintenance and specialised staffing.

PIMS Executive Director Prof Rana Imran Sikander said the hospital operates more than 90 ventilators across medical, surgical, paediatric, neonatal and cardiac intensive care units within its 1,400-bed facility.

Rising Demand Overwhelms Public Healthcare

Sikander said the hospital’s ventilators remain almost fully occupied throughout the year and that operating each unit costs approximately PKR 200,000 per day, with treatment provided free of cost to emergency patients.

He added that Islamabad’s population has grown from around 500,000 when PIMS was established to nearly five million, placing unprecedented pressure on the hospital’s resources.

Similar challenges were reported at Islamabad’s Polyclinic Hospital, where spokesperson Abdul Jabbar Bhutto said all 35 ventilators remain continuously occupied.

Bhutto said staff shortages prevent the hospital from operating additional ventilators even if more machines are procured. He also noted that high treatment costs at private hospitals, where intensive care can reportedly cost up to PKR 300,000 per day, force many families to seek treatment at government facilities, resulting in long waiting lists and, in some cases, patients dying before a ventilator becomes available.

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