Six hospitals in Pakistan's Islamabad and Lahore may soon cease to operate after the Finance Division rejected a request by the federal health ministry to provide a supplementary Rs11 billion for the smooth functioning of these medical facilities, media reports said.

Salaries for a number of employees have already been stopped, and nurses at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) have been protesting for over a week now, reported Dawn News.

The labs of these hospitals will also soon stop functioning completely, as testing kits are running out of stock.  

Radiology tests are also being refused because films are not available, and medicines are being denied to patients as the tender amount has not been paid to companies, the newspaper reported.

The hospitals in Islamabad that will be hit by the decision include Pims, Polyclinic, Federal General Hospital, National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM), dispensaries, basic health units, ancillary departments of the health ministry, and institutes.

Shaikh Zayed Hospital Lahore will also be affected since it is operated by federal fund.

On the other hand, the Finance Division has informed the health ministry in writing that, as per the preconditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), funds can only be released in case of a disaster, reported Dawn News.