A severe shortage of beds in major government hospitals in Karachi has led to the collapse of basic infection control protocols. In emergency wards of Civil Hospital Karachi and the National Institute of Child Health (NICH), it has become common practice to accommodate two—sometimes even three to four—patients on a single bed.
According to international health guidelines, including those from the World Health Organization (WHO), every patient should be provided with a separate bed and adequate distance from others to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. However, Karachi’s major public hospitals are unable to comply with these standards.
Hospital sources reveal that many patients are referred in critical condition from other facilities such as Jinnah Hospital or Indus Hospital. When admission is denied due to capacity issues, these patients are often forced to wait outside the hospitals and refuse to leave. In such situations, the medical staff has no option but to adjust them on the already crowded emergency beds to ensure they receive at least basic treatment.
At Civil Hospital Karachi, additional beds have been placed right next to the emergency registration desk, where both male and female patients lie side by side. Due to the overwhelming rush, doctors struggle to provide treatment and are often seen pushing through crowds to attend patients. This overcrowded environment makes it nearly impossible to treat critically ill patients in a calm and hygienic setting.
Experts warn that the overcrowding not only disrupts treatment but significantly increases the risk of infections spreading from one patient to another, potentially turning a single illness into multiple complications.
The hospital administration acknowledges the problem and admits that sharing beds heightens the risk of disease transmission. However, they argue that under the current circumstances, taking smaller risks is unavoidable in order to save lives.
Medical staff and health experts are now urging the government to urgently expand emergency wards in major public hospitals across Karachi and increase the number of available beds so that effective infection control measures can be implemented.
