A Supreme Court-backed judicial commission on Tuesday took notice of the poor and dilapidated state of trauma centres and hospitals in district and taluka headquarters of the province, and directed the health secretary to give a clear-cut way forward to finish work on incomplete trauma centres and improve the condition of hospitals.
The commission, headed by Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim, took exception to the improper arrangements at Civil Hospital Sukkur and inquired as to why the trauma centre and the children ward were not properly maintained with necessary equipment.
It observed that government hospitals were not being properly maintained with equipment, and 41 trauma centres were not functional at the government hospitals of the province. It directed the chairman of the planning board, the health secretary, the works secretary, and the chairman of the task force to sit together and suggest joint proposals giving a clear-cut way forward to finalise the incomplete trauma centres and improve the condition of taluka and districts headquarters hospitals of the province.
The commission said that no positive progress had been made by the health department as far as the installation of incinerators was concerned in the government hospitals. It directed the additional secretary health to submit a report with regard to the installation of incinerators with a time frame.
The commission was informed by the deputy commissioner of Sukkur that by virtue of the office he had been appointed project director for the establishment of Ghulam Mohammad Mehar Medical College Sukkur. He said that he does not have any expertise to take care of such a big project which has been revised and re-revised with the updated estimated cost of Rs4.77 billion.
The commission observed that normally the district administration should monitor the project of this nature, but the deputy commissioner should not be appointed project director was being practised. It directed that the Sindh government would review the situation and the construction of the building would be undertaken by the works department, which had the required expertise and experience, while the health department would give its technical input. It observed that the deputy commissioner of Sukkur may monitor the execution of the project.
The commission also took notice of encroachments on government land in Sukkur and observed that during a visit it had been observed that encroachments had been made but no action of any nature had been taken by the anti-encroachment cell of Sukkur.
It also directed the deputy commissioner and the mayor of Sukkur to remove encroachments from the state land after the fulfillment of the codal formalities in order to ensure a safe supply of water and smooth functioning of drainage schemes.
The chairman of Khipro had given an undertaking that he would improve the cleanliness in the town and would also take care of the sewage drains and water supply schemes. The commission directed him to clean the town within 15 days failing which appropriate orders would be passed.