Daily Times

KARACHI: An upgraded 50-bed under-construction public healthcare facility building, worth Rs 57 million, in a Karachi’s slum settlement Azam Basti is in deteriorating condition.

Due to lack of interest on parts of Sindh Health Department and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) the under construction building has been left unattended even after a passage of 09 years.

The healthcare facility was upgraded from dispensary to a 3-storey Urban Health Centre (UHC) and the construction work of the Centre started in 2008 in a separate adjacent dispensary.

Since the dispensary building is itself in deteriorating condition and Urban Health Centre building has remained in-completed, meager healthcare facilities are being provided in nearby school building on make-shift arrangements.

Under construction Urban Health Centre building, currently owned by KMC had been transferred from City District Government to KMC after devolution of powers under the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013.

According to officials, original estimated cost of the Urban Health Centre scheme was Rs 57 million, out of which Rs 52 million have already been spent. However, since this construction was estimated on old cost, it has been escalated double from its original cost.

“KMC should either complete the building or withdraw from it and hand it over to Government of Sindh,” said an official of Directorate of Health Services, Karachi Division on condition of autonomy.

Daily Times has learnt that KMC allocates funds for this project under its annual development programme (ADP) every year but does not release them.

Mehmood Baig, Director Planning KMC Development while expressing his inability to take over the responsibility has informed that , “Construction work will only start when requisition for the matter would come from KMC Engineering Department”.

Sohail Ashfaq living on Street Number 11, Azam Town and a visitor to health facility said due to limited healthcare facilities, area people go far away even the facility/building of healthcare unit is there. Sometimes we have to go to Saddar Town for medical treatment.

Dr Yasmeen, in charge UHC said nowadays out door patients department is having around 80 staff members, before the shifting number of staff was around 150. There is no pediatric department and doctor is also not available for male patients either.

We requested school management to allocate us an additional room for Family Planning facility. Present healthcare facility needs power generator for ultra sound. Due to its absence, we are faceing difficulty in family planning facility. We also need uninterrupted lights for 24 hours.

Dr Sumera Quraishi, Women Medical Officer (WMO) has said that we are disturbing school chores and on the other hand sharing with school, our daily work is also being affected.