LARKANA: As many as 303 posts of doctors, paramedical staff and others are vacant at the Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Larkana, Daily Times learnt on Saturday. Given the shortage of the staff at the largest tertiary care hospital of the Upper Sindh, poor patients are compelled to get treatment at private medical centres. According to details, 85 posts of medical officers of BPS-17, 68 posts of BPS-18, 39 posts of BPS-19, two posts of BPS-20, 106 posts of staff nurses (BPS-16) are vacant since long, besides 188 posts of sanitary workers. The Sanctioned new expenditure (SNE), under which doctors and paramedical staff are to be appointed on a permanent basis, has also not been okayed for six departments, including Burns Ward, Neuro-Science Complex, Dermatology Department, Dental Department, Accident and Emergency Centre and Oncology Department. Around 5,000 patients visit outdoor department of the hospital on a daily basis while 200 operations are carried out during 24 hours at the hospital. “We have written to the Health Department for recruiting doctors and staff nurses on merit through the Sindh Public Service Commission, and grating permission to make appointments on vacant posts of paramedics to overcome shortage of staff but the same is still awaited, Additional Medical Superintendent (AMS) Dr Adeeb Chandio told reporters on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Health Department has sent a team of Chinese and local engineers to computerise the entire record of the medical college and also to install biometric system to check the attendance of medics and paramedics. The team is busy in carrying out a survey of all departments of hospital, which are scattered at five different places in Larkana. From OPD slip to admission to wards, everything will be computerised. Dr Adeeb Chandio said that computers would be provided to staff nurses, doctors and paramedics so that entire data of the patients could be monitored by senior doctors at anytime.