Baqar suspends four officials for their inefficiency, disinterest in duty

During his surprise visits on Tuesday, caretaker Sindh chief minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar suspended a hospital’s medical superintendent, a school headmaster, and a police station’s SHO and head muharrar for their inefficiency and disinterest, and also ordered an inquiry against a veterinary hospital’s incharge and the deputy director concerned.

Accompanied by interim health minister Dr Saad Niaz and the health secretary, Baqar visited the 2-1 Corridor Hospital, Landhi, and found it rich with resources and having special doctors, but observed the operation theatre to be non-functional.

The hospital has qualified orthopaedists, gynaecologists and chest specialists, but they have been referring their patients to other hospitals because they have no facilities for conducting surgeries.

Their pharmacy was almost empty of medicines, and whatever stock was available was that of painkillers. There was no ward, and all the beds were covered in heavy layers of dust. They have no technician or paramedical staff, and even though they have an ambulance, they have no driver.

Dr Abdullah Brohi, the hospital’s MS, admitted that he had not reported the shortage of staff to the health department. The medicines recommended by the specialists working at the hospital for local purchase were ignored, and only those medicines were bought that were not required.

Some patients complained to the caretaker CM that a man named Hassan Jan had established his influence at the hospital, and had been harassing the doctors and other staff.

Baqar directed the relevant SSP to investigate the matter and report to him. He also directed the police to keep an eye on the suspect and not allow him to enter the hospital.

He suspended Dr Brohi and ordered an inquiry into the hospital’s matters, including staff situation, equipment status, budget, ambulance, kitchen and failure of starting wards. He directed the health secretary to inquire into the matter and report to him.

He also expressed his displeasure with the director health and the deputy director health over their failure to carry out an inspection at the hospitals.

Baqar and Dr Niaz then visited the BHU Jumma Hamaity Goth Dispensary being managed by the PPHI. The dispensary had a shortage of medicines, and its administration had not kept it properly neat and clean.

Baqar directed Dr Niaz to talk to the PPHI administration and direct them to improve the performance of the facilities given to them for operation.

During his surprise visit to the Sukhan police station, Baqar found that one of its three vans was out of order and parked on bricks at the entrance. He also noticed that the wireless system in the wireless room was out of order.

He was informed that the mobiles have no wireless sets, so the wireless system had ceased to function. This enraged the interim CM, and he directed SHO Malik Abro to call his police mobile on FaceTime so that their location could be checked.

The mobiles did not respond, and finally, when he was leaving the police station, the policemen on duty on the mobiles called back. Baqar was also informed that the police station has 131 constables.

When he checked the attendance of the policewomen, he found them to have been absent since long. He directed the SSP Malir to take strict action against the lady constables.

He checked the armoury and found that the weapons were not placed properly. He said that neither the wireless system is working nor the mobiles are patrolling, while most of the police officials are absent from duty, with the head muharrar having no knowledge of Register 13.

He also noticed that the attendance of a person placed on the 4th Schedule had not been taken. He ordered suspending the SHO and the head muharrar, and ordered an inquiry into the overall performance of the police station.

During his visit to the Government Boys Secondary School, Bin Qasim, Baqar checked the classrooms, met the students, inspected their books and homework notebooks, and talked to the teachers.

He was informed that the school has 15 teachers and 180 students, but almost half of the students were absent. Headmaster Shaukat Umrani had no knowledge of the teachers and the subjects they were teaching.

The school’s condition was precarious in terms of cleanliness and maintenance. The manholes at the entrance were open, and there were no stairs to enter the laboratory.

The lab looked like a storeroom that had remained closed for many months. There were no chemicals or equipment, while new textbooks were dumped there.

The students were not taken out of their classrooms for drills or sports. The teachers’ condition was poor, and all the chairs were broken. The headmaster failed to respond to any of Baqar’s questions.

The caretaker CM, therefore, suspended the headmaster, and directed the school education department to demand an explanation from the directors of schools for his failure to inspect the schools in his area.

Baqar’s final visit was to the Veterinary Hospital, Landhi, Cattle Colony. The condition of the hospital, including its lab, was so miserable that the interim CM ordered an inquiry.

There were no medicines in the hospital store, and the shades put up for the ailing cattle were dirty, broken and unmaintained. Baqar ordered a report based on a thorough inquiry.