Karachi: A large number of critically ill patients at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre have been facing serious difficulties after the hospital’s main arterial blood gas (ABG) testing machine developed a fault, forcing patients and their families to seek the test from private hospitals and laboratories at high cost.
Hospital sources said the ABG machine installed at the main laboratory of Jinnah Hospital was used to perform between 2,000 and 3,000 tests daily, including for emergency cases, intensive care patients and those suffering from severe respiratory illnesses. With the machine out of order, a key diagnostic service was abruptly disrupted, leading to delays in treatment and added financial burden for patients.
Medical experts said the ABG test is critical for assessing oxygen levels, carbon dioxide concentration and acid base balance in a patient’s blood. It plays a vital role in managing patients with pneumonia, sepsis, respiratory failure, diabetic emergencies and those on ventilators, where timely results can directly influence life saving decisions.
Patients and attendants complained that in the absence of the facility at a public sector hospital, they were compelled to get the test done at private laboratories, where it costs between Rs2,500 and Rs3,000 per test, an amount unaffordable for many families.
Doctors at Jinnah Hospital said without ABG results, it becomes extremely difficult to accurately assess a patient’s breathing status and oxygen delivery to vital organs, compromising timely and effective treatment. They warned that even short delays in such cases can have serious consequences for critically ill patients.
Reacting to the situation, Jinnah Hospital spokesperson Dr Waqas said that one of the ABG machines at the main laboratory had developed a fault, while another machine had already been repaired and would become operational from Monday. He added that an additional ABG machine had been shifted to the emergency department and would also start functioning from Monday.
Dr Waqas said that both the medical and surgical intensive care units have their own ABG machines, which are currently being used for critically ill patients. He explained that due to the Sunday holiday, a biomedical engineer was not available to immediately repair the faulty machine, but it would also be fixed shortly.
Patients and health experts urged hospital management and the provincial health department to ensure timely maintenance of critical diagnostic equipment and to put backup systems in place, warning that repeated breakdowns of essential machines in major public hospitals continue to undermine patient care and push vulnerable families toward costly private healthcare.