The District Co-ordination Officer Hyderabad, Muhammad Hussain Syed, has stressed upon the management of Liaquat University Medical and Science Hospital (LUMSH) Hyderabad for efficient utilisation of Zakat fund so that maximum poor patients could be benefited from limited resources.
This he directed while presiding over a meeting to review utilisation of Zakat fund in the hospital at his camp office here on Friday evening.
He said that as many as Rs 9 million, including Rs 7 million from Central Zakat office and Rs 2 million from District Zakat office Hyderabad, were being provided to the LUMS Hospital annually to provide free treatment to the poor patients but due to difficult procedure, illiterate and poor patients were experiencing difficulties in getting medical facilities on account of Zakat fund.
He said that with the simplifying procedure, easy access and proper accountability of Zakat funds could pave the way for the maximum medical facilities to the patients from limited resources.
He said that there was a Health Welfare Committee, headed by the medical superintendent of the hospital, 'but its activation in practical sense is required to guide the poor patients for getting medical facilities from the Zakat counter.'
He said that in addition to referring medical treatment for the patients of hepatitis B and C, the treatment for the cardiac patients should also be recommended to the concerned authorities so that this costly treatment should be made available for the poor patients.
The DCO also said that in addition to providing treatment to the poor patients through the Zakat fund and Baitul Maal, the District Government Hyderabad was giving top priority to strengthen all taluka hospitals and small medical units of the district by providing maximum medicines, equipment, medical staff and ambulances through different heads of account to provide facilities available at each nook and corner of the district and it will reduce the burden of over crowded LUMS hospitals at Hyderabad and Jamshoro.
He said that though the provision of fund was an important factor but efficient utilisation of funds was also another important factor to ensure the facilities to the ailing people and said that missionary spirit was required to achieve this object.
Additional medical superintendent LUMSH for Zakat Dr Waseem, additional medical superintendent LUMSH for Admin. Dr Ghulam Mustafa Abbasi, chairman Zakat and Ushr Hyderabad Professor Idrees Qaimkhani also attended the meeting.