CHK’s vascular ward closed for two years, SHC told

Karachi
The vascular surgery and isolation ward of the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) has been non-functional for over two years due to unavailability of a surgeon; officials of the health department informed the Sindh High Court on Wednesday.
Medical superintendent Saeed Qureshi and secretary health Iftikhar Ali Shallwani filed their comments regarding a petition filed by Mohammed Nazeer Abbasi.
According to officials the doctors assigned went abroad after receiving specialised training. However, they claimed the ward would start functioning as soon as a faculty member was appointed.
SHC division bench headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah granted the officials two weeks to file their comments on whether a contract refraining doctors from going abroad for a particular time period could be drawn.
The hearing was adjourned till March 24.
The petitioner had submitted that vascular and isolation wards at the facility being run under Dow University of Health and Sciences had been lying dormant since Prof Dr Sohail Ahmed Khan went on leave two years ago whereas the administration did not arrange for any other specialist.
The petitioner requested the court to issue directives to concerned authorities in order to make the ward functional.