Additional facility of 100-bed, inaugurated at Sindh Government Hospital (SGH) New Karachi by Sindh Minister for Planning and Development Shoaib Bukhari on July 14, 2005, has not started functioning yet even after over a month.
Addition of 100-bed has brought the total bed strength of hospital to 200 beds. New building is ground plus two, having indoor blocks with provision of OPDs. It is planned that all existing OPDs will be shifted at newly constructed block except OPDs of Physiotherapy, Dental, X-ray department and Nursing School, which will continue to work in old block, PPI learnt.
At the time of inauguration, provincial minister had ordered EDO Health Karachi to make functional the new block within 10 days, but even possession of building has not been handed over to hospital administration so far. Only 50 beds have been provided so far by EDO Health Office, while furniture, fixtures, instruments and major equipment yet to be provided, a senior doctor of the hospital said.
"We have urged government to provide human resource of around 350 persons, including doctors and paramedical staff. Residential facility for about 22 staff members will also be constructed adjacent to new block, which would take one and a half year to complete," he added.
Existing facility has all OPDs and diagnostic facilities including laboratory, x-ray, ultra-sound, beside a School of Midwifery and 5-beded Dialysis Unit, running with help of an NGO. At the beginning, it was established as 50-bed health facility, which later upgraded to 100-bed hospital in 1996, having daily OPD of around 800. Now it has OPD of 1800. The hospital however, is still functioning with the same strength of doctors/paramedical that existed at the time of 50-bed facility despite the fact that it has now become 200-bed hospital. This aspect is badly affecting efficiency of hospital, he mentioned.
Due to shortage of staff, we are unable to run evening and night shifts of dialysis unit. Secondly, owing to the situation, emergency operation theatre (OT) could not start functioning and only routine surgeries are being performed at the hospital to cater healthcare needs of millions of people residing in North Karachi, New Karachi,
Surjani Town, some parts of Gadap Town, North Nazimabad Town etc. Last year, government approved paramedical staff of 22, but the same is still awaited, he added.
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