SHC orders police to complete investigation of destruction of medicines in LUMHS hospital

HYDERABAD: The Sindh High Court has ordered the police to complete investigation of destruction of medicines worth Rs. 230 million during a fire on May 7 at Liaquat University Hospital in Jamshoro.

The Hyderabad circuit bench comprising justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Fahim Ahmed Siddiqi on Thursday gave three weeks to the police for completing the inquiry after registration of the first information report (FIR).

During the hearing, Secretary Health Dr Fazlullah Pechuho informed the court that he would write to SSP Jamshoro district for lodging an FIR against the delinquent officers.

Following registration of the case, the inquiry would be handed over to SSP Hyderabad Amjad Ahmed Shaikh who would be assisted by Director General Health Department and other concerned officials in the matter.

"Every single delinquent regardless of his status should receive his due," the court ordered observing that those medicines were supposed to be provided free to the poor patients at that government hospital. "Such negligence is not simple [ordinary] because these medicines may have been used to cure or treat poor [people]," the order read.

The division bench further ordered the Sindh government to form a committee to implement the SHC's judgment with regard to handover of the teaching hospitals to the medical universities.

The secretary health informed the court that the matter concerned two provincial departments one of which was headed by him and the other by Dr Navid Shaikh, Secretary Boards and Universities.

The court ordered that the committee should consist Secretaries of health, law, forest and boards and universities, vice chancellors of the medical universities, Chairman Sindh Health Commission, DG Health and Executive Director of National Institute of Cardio Vascular Diseases (NICVD).

The court gave three months to the committee to formulate a mechanism of handover of the hospitals to the universities as per the SHC's order.

The bench also tasked the committee to examine the proposed bill for establishing the teaching health management board and service rules for the employees of the health department.

The Secretary Health apprised the court that after introduction of the biometric attendance system the health department found some 1,600 ghost employees in the province.

The SHC ordered the accountant general Sindh to examine the list of those employees and to recover the amount which they had drawn as salaries during the period of their absence.

The court was informed that the existing tertiary, secondary and primary healthcare facilities in the province were built before the latest population census. Pechuho said the health department had formed committees to examine the post census population figures of the areas in Sindh and to suggest upgrade of the hospitals and health centers accordingly.

With regard to the Health Management Organizations (HMOs), the SHC ordered that five years experience of the hospital management, reputation and credentials should be criterion for the handover of the government hospitals for management to private HMOs.

Upon the court' inquiry, the Secretary assured that the Health Department had stopped charging the parking fee inside the government hospitals.

Pechuho also acknowledged that private restaurants and medical stores were operating 'illegally' in the public sector hospitals.

However, he added, the matter was pending hearing in the Supreme Court owing to which the Sindh Health Department cannot take any action against those businesses.

The court will resume hearing of the petition on Oct 11.