Health dept told to cancel contracts of unregistered bottled water companies

Taking notice of the awarding of contracts to unlicensed bottled water companies to supply water to government-run hospitals, the Supreme Court-mandated judicial commission has directed the Sindh health secretary to cancel contracts of all such companies which are not registered with the Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority.

It is very alarming that unlicensed bottled water companies have been awarded contracts by hospitals, putting patients and other people’s lives at risk, the commission investigating the non-provision of basic civic services and a clean environment to Sindh’s residents observed during a hearing on Thursday.

The team headed by Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim noted that the most shocking aspect is that the health department has not cared to provide safe drinking water to patients and those who visit the hospitals.

It then tasked Dr Murtaza, a senior research officer, with compiling an independent report on the quality of bottled water being supplied at hospitals. The judicial body was informed that 73 per cent of the water samples of private water supply companies were found unsafe for consumption because of the presence of coliform bacteria beyond the WHO guideline value (9cfu/100ml).

The PSQCA director general and member task force informed that drinking water was being supplied at Peoples Medical College Hospital in Shaheed Benazirabad by water companies not registered with PSQCA. These factories were found in residential houses which were seized by the PSQCA under the provision of PSQCA Act, he said.

The commission then directed the official to collect all the samples of bottled drinking water from the hospitals of Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Badin, Thatta, Kotri and Jamshoro where the water was being supplied by such contractors as well as details of the contracts and owners of such companies to be submitted as a report after the samples’ analysis.

The commission said that if the companies were found unlicensed, action should be taken against them and directed the health secretary to cancel contracts of such nature where the bottled water companies are not registered with PSQCA.

The commission ordered that action shall be taken forthwith by notifying the medical superintendents or any other official who is responsible for such arrangements within seven days, warning that after the expiry of the period, if supply of unlicensed companies’ water continues, then the medical superintendent along with the contractor shall also be exposed to legal action.

The judicial body also directed the medical superintendent of Peoples Medical College Hospital Shaheed Benazirabad to ensure that companies supply water to it are registered with PSQCA and if they are not, their contract should be cancelled.

The PSQCA director general submitted that they need support of the district administration to inspect different places where the fake companies are operating in the province. The commission then directed the Chief Secretary and IG Sindh to provide protection to the institution so that it can function smoothly without any hindrance from any quarters.

The commission added that the PSQCA DG shall also interact with the secretary of the home department and IG Police regarding the orders, who will in turn direct the district administration in Sindh to facilitate the inspections and also facilitate their activities which are covered by the PSQCA Act. A notice was also issued to the federal energy secretary to resolve the issues of electricity supply to different water supply schemes of the public health engineering department.