PTI leaders slam medical facilities in Tharparkar

SUKKUR: A team of PTI parliamentarians visited the Civil Hospital, Umerkot, Chachro and Mithi and met drought stricken women and children and expressed their frustration and disappointment over the plight of the area.

A four-member PTI delegation led by Haleem Adil Shaikh and comprising MPAs Dr Imran Ali Shah, Dr Sanjay Gangwani, and Dua Bhutto arrived in Tharparkar on a two-day exploratory visit.

They visited different sections of Civil Hospitals at Umerkot, Chachro and Mithi, and inquired about the health of the admitted children and other patients and distributed relief material. They also discussed the issues of patient care, state of medical equipment and medicine supply with the medical superintendent and other doctors.

Talking to the media, Haleem Adil Shaikh expressed concern over the district hospital not having a building of its own and that it is being operated from an ill-equipped Rural Health Centre. He was also critical of the shortage of specialists and lack of availability of necessary equipment, including incubators at the centre.

Haleem Adil said the PPP government ignored the health sector in the province in the last 10 years, wasting billions of rupees of health budget which can be witnessed in the form of lack of proper facilities and substandard medicines. The PTI leader claimed that they will monitor the performance of the PPP government and will not allow any wastage of the public wealth.

MPA Dua Bhutto said despite declaring 25 Dehs of district Umerkot as calamity hit, the Sindh government has not even started any relief work. Demanding the provincial government to urgently address the disaster struck people, she claimed in the past the PPP even distributed wheat meant for relief unfairly among their cronies, while ignoring the larger population of Tharparkar.

MPA Dr Imran Shah said the provincial government has largely neglected the prevailing drought in Tharparkar due to which there is widespread hunger among the population. He said pregnant mothers are suffering from malnourishment leading to underweight births and stunted growth of children.

The PTI MPA on reserved seat, Sanjay Gangwani, said the countrywide water shortages have reached an alarming stage. Terming the construction of Basha Dam as the need of the hour, he said it is imperative that water is released downstream Guddu to keep the encroaching sea at bay and protect the Indus Delta.

Earlier, at the hospital, the PTI MPAs met two children who are suffering from cancer and asked the doctors to shift them to Karachi. Haleem Adil announced to help the them get better treatment on his own and with the help of Pakistan Baitul Mal.