Sindh to set up child healthcare institute

The Sindh Assembly on Monday legislated to set up a child healthcare institute to provide the newborn babies with a specialised care in the province. The institute will also serve as an independent degree awarding organisation. The house unanimously voted to a motion by Sindh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla who presented the assembly's select committee's report on "The Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology Bill, 2018" to set up the institute in Karachi with its branches all over the province to provide neonates with healthcare facilities.
It will treat various diseases and injuries related to neonatology and paediatrics. It will also provide a full technical support and supervision to the other child healthcare facilities set up in different government-run medical departments. It will work on molecular sciences, genetic research for diagnostic therapy and preventive purposes for all those disorders affecting children.
It is a step to scale down infant mortality by overcoming malnutrition, immunisation and reducing death from communicable diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia, besides the non-communicable diseases (NCD). The legislation also aims to develop methodology and standardise technique, besides protocol for investigation and treatment of diseases or injuries related to paediatrics, neonatology and newborn screening. The institute will also step up to teach and transfer new skills, knowledge and innovation to doctors, nurses, paramedical and biomedical technologists and others.
In addition, the Institute of Child Health and Neonatology Karachi will hold examinations and award and confer degrees, diplomas, certificates and other academic credentials on the students who followed all the prescribed conditions. "No person shall be denied the privilege on the ground because of gender, religion, race, creed, caste, colour or domicile," according to the admission policy that is laid down in the bill. It will also carry out and promote research, surveys and set up a database to help improve medical services. Sindh Chief Minister is the patron of the institute.
The house also passed 'the Sindh Injured Persons Compulsory Medical Treatment (Amal Umer) Bill, 2019," into law, unanimously. Ghanwar Ali Khan, MPA from ruling MPA, who is the convener of the select committee, presented a report on the bill that was introduced to the house last week.
After an hour long noisy protest and disorder from PTI on the issue of firing at its MPA that marred question-answer session and call attention notices, PA adopted two resolutions on the said issue: First Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani condemned firing and asked the legislators to avoid blame game without knowing details firing at MPA Ghanchi in Lyari. Citing the police reports, he said, Sindh government is after the third attacker who is expected to be arrested soon as the two had been arrested. He assured the PTI of carrying out investigations under the police officer they trust the most. "On behalf of PPP and Sindh government, I condemn the incident," he said.
Then PTI's Firdous Shamim Naqvi, leader of the opposition, moved his resolution. MQM's Khawaja Izharul Hassan referred to Articles 1, 9, 10, 10 (A) and 98 of the Constitution that guarantee protection to citizens and their properties. Firing at Ghanchi was not the first such attack on a legislator since three lawmakers belonging to the MQM had been shot dead by unknown religious extremists in the city.
"Murders of MQM's MPAs were also politicised and many termed those were inside job although it was untrue," he said, urging that weapons exhibition should be banned. He called for legislation proposing that gun attack on legislator should be classified in the law as terrorism. He also worried over the much-anticipated disorder from growing water shortage in Karachi. He feared widespread riots and quarrels if supplies were not improved.
GDA's Rafiq Banbhan, MQM's Muhammad Hussain, PTI's Dr Imran Ali Shah, Khurrum Sher Zaman Khan and Haleem Adil Shaikh and MMA's Syed Abdul Rasheed also spoke on the resolutions, condemned the firing and prayed for early recovery of Ghanchi.
Later, Saeed Ghani gave a policy statement that his government is constitutionally bound to comply with all the court's orders and implement them sincerely yet it will not execute anything that result in the human tragedy.
He spoke in detail on the property classifications and its utilisations in Karachi. He said the court's orders are important and government would leave no stone unturned in reviving Karachi's beautiful look. However, those properties where people reside cannot be razed since it would eventually lead to human tragedy. "Government is ready to rid the city of encroachment and other illegal constructions whether they are markets or marriage halls," he said, adding that tens of thousands of people have purchased their plots and apartments which were later found illegal yet the owners cannot be held responsible for that. Ghani said government would pursue the cases relating to selling of illegal properties to the innocent citizens and chase the real culprits.