Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has decided to out-source all the x-ray and other laboratory units of the government hospitals so that they could be utilized round the clock to facilitate the masses. He took this decision while presiding over a meeting of Sindh Health department here at the CM House, said a statement on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by Sindh Minister Health Dr Azra Pechuho, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Health Saeed Awan, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, Secretary PHE Niaz Abbasi, Secretary Works Imran Atta Soomro, CEO PPHI Wahab Soomro, VC Down University Saeed Qureshi, Executive director Dr Nadeem Qamar and other concerned officers.
The chief minister said that in all the DHQs, taluka hospitals and even in Basic Health Units-plus laboratories and radiology services have been established but sorry to say despite spending lot of funds these labs and radiology services are not provided round the clock as are being done in private sector, he said and added the maintenance of lab equipment and radiology machines was another issue.
He directed health department to prepare a plan to out-source the labs and radiology services with an agreement to operate them round the clock. “We are ready to give them (private partner) funds and staff but they must utilize labs and radiology machines to their maximum capacity and maintained them properly,” he said. Speaking about procurement of medicines, the chief minister directed health department to ensure procurement of the medicines by the mid of October. “You are getting late therefore hospitals were facing problems,”he said.
The secretary health said that the tendering process has been completed and the tenders would be opened within a week. The Minister for health said that the shortage of medicines has been met through local purchase and no hospital was without medicine. It may be noted that 85 percent of medicines are procured by Central Procurement Committee and then distribute them among the hospitals as per their requirement.
The chief minister said that the death of a 10-year old boy in the lap of his mother at Larkana had caused him profound grief. This is unacceptable and could not be tolerated, he added. The secretary health told the chief minister that the child was bitten by rabid dog two days before the Eid-ul-Azha and his parents had not taken the child to any hospital. The child suffered from rubies and had no chance to survive even though he was given anti-rubies, he said.
The chief minister directed health department to ensure availability of anti-rubies in every hospital and the PPHI must ensure its availability at BHU level. He said that dog bitten cases usually take place in rural areas, therefore they should not be any shortage and issued directives to ensure availability of anti-snake bite serum in every hospital. The chief minister approved Rs 412 million for operation of Aman Ambulance as these funds would be utilized from July to December 2019. However, the chief minister has already approved the proposal to operate Aman Ambulance on PPP mode. The chief minister also approved the proposal of procurement of 50 ambulance for PPHI and said that PPHI has brought improvements in mother and child health but it has to make its primary health services more effective.
Syed Murad Ali Shah directed CEO PPHI to make Janat Gul Hospital, Sohrab Goth as a model hospital. Sohrab Goth area could easily cater the needs of population of three districts of the city such as East, West and Malir, he added. He said that he would soon start visiting each and every health facility to witness the quality of services and care of the patients.—APP
