LARKANA: The schedule of fresh expenditure on three vital projects of the largest 1500-bed capacity Teaching Hospital of upper Sindh known as Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Larkana, has been awaiting approval since sixteen months by the Health and Finance Departments of Sindh.
The funds were needed to run these projects properly for providing health facilities to the needy and ailing populace especially of the catchment area of the hospital.
The required documents of four sets of BBC-IV proposal of new expenditure 2016-17 for each scheme along with PC-IV, handing/taking over report and PC-I of these completed schemes have already been sent to Health Department in May 2015 by CMCH Medical Superintendent but so far no action has been taken which shows lack of interest by health department authorities.
These most important schemes include establishment of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Skin Diseases Complex, Construction of Dental and Hematology Department ADP Scheme No 623 and completed in 2014-15), Up-gradation of Surgery Department, Surgery Equipment for OT Modernisation of Laboratory Blood Bank, establishment of Oncology Treatment Ward, 30 beds (ADP Scheme 373 and completed in 2015-16), and Construction of Neuro-Science Complex (ADP Scheme 372 and completed in 2015-16) where Nero-Surgery and Neuro-Medicine Departments have been established. Despite acute shortage of medics, paramedics, medicines and other necessities, these departments have been made functional by CMCH administration but the concerned Head of Departments was facing serious hardships in properly running and managing their respective wards.
Meanwhile, several posts of male/female medical officers, registrars, trainee registrars, blood transfusion officers and medico-legal officers remained vacant in CMCH.
There was no male/female medico-legal officer in this major hospital and all male and lady doctors have to perform 15-days rotation duty in this vital section. Likewise, due to acute shortage of medics all male doctors of basic scale 17 and 18 have also to perform 15-days rotation duty at Casualty (Emergency Department) in evening and night shifts which has become mandatory for all of them. Out of 223 sanctioned posts of BS-17, as many as 92 are vacant in CMCH which include two posts of ICU supervisor, 14 posts of male/female medical officers out of 96 sanctioned posts, 13 posts out of 55 of registrars, 44 out of 48 trainee registrars, two out of three trainee posts of registrars are lying vacant since years but worst of all is the fact that all 17 posts of medico-legal officers are vacant and nobody has been posted as yet to deal with the essential cases. The CMCH is dealing with medico-legal cases of entire Larkana division. Will the healthcare bosses of Sindh take immediate notice of these issues and resolve the shortcomings on priority basis for the benefit of needy poor patients is yet to be seen.
Published in Daily Times, September 7th 2017.