PESHAWAR – KP hospitals continue to struggle with critical shortages in basic medicines, functional medical equipment, and staff attendance, according to a recent report by the Independent Monitoring Unit (IMU).
The report reveals that only 41 percent of KP hospitals have access to 200 essential medicines. Availability of 174 priority medicines stands at just 45 percent. Shockingly, only one hospital reported 80 percent availability of required drugs.
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Medical equipment performance is also below standard. Out of 160 essential devices, only 84 percent were functional. Just three hospitals achieved 90 percent equipment functionality. The report also highlights that in May 2025 alone, 228 of the 390 assigned doctors were absent from duty.
The IMU report documents that KP hospitals recorded an average of 7,484 outpatient visits and 491 emergency cases daily. However, 14 hospitals saw a decline in OPD visits, and five reported fewer emergency cases compared to the previous month.
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Cleanliness also remains a major issue. Not a single hospital met the 90 percent cleanliness benchmark. In fact, 12 district headquarters hospitals experienced further deterioration. Only 81 percent of hospital toilets were found operational, and in eight hospitals this number was below 90 percent.
The report further states that although the government allocated 1.19bn rupees [4.25mn US dollars] and released 1.21bn rupees [4.32mn US dollars], some hospitals—such as those in Mardan and Haripur—utilized between 138 and 178 percent of their budgets, raising equity concerns.
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Fifteen pharmaceutical suppliers have been flagged for either breaching contracts or providing substandard material. Officials have confirmed that action will be taken against absent doctors, while urgent steps will be introduced to improve medicine availability and hygiene across KP hospitals. Legal action is also expected against non-compliant suppliers.
