Owing to closure of Planning and Works Department (PWD) of Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), doctors, paramedics and patients visiting the facility for treatment are facing severe hardships. Sources at the hospital said that said that the PWD of the hospital was closed some six months ago, which was meant for carrying out development and maintenance at the hospital.
They said that the employees of the department were not attending their duties on regular basis. Despite it they are being paid salaries by the administration, they claimed. They said that as Karachi is the most populous city of the country and patients from far-flung areas of Sindh province also visit CHK on daily basis but they are facing difficulties due to bad condition of the hospital due to lack of maintenance and repair work.
They said that the provincial government has announced a large number of development projects for CHK but there was no work is taking place at the hospital. Due to non-availability of PWD staff, the development projects in the hospitals were halted for the last few months, they said.
They said that the gutter lines at the hospitals were gushing out sewerage water entered into some wards due to which the patients were facing severe hardships. Infection could be broke out due to lack of proper sanitation system, they said.
They said that the electric system of the hospital was in shambles due to non-availability of electricians in the hospital. They said that sanitation and water supply systems of the hospital were also in shabby condition. The PWD has become a safe heaven for the drug addicts and peddlers.
Medical Superintendent Civil Hospital Karachi, Professor Dr Saeed Qureshi when contacted, confirmed drug addiction use the premises of PWD, adding police has conducted raids on the addicts. He said that the administration of the hospitals has closed PWD department and now it is acquiring the services of private firms for development and maintenance works. He denied that the employees of PWD were being paid salaries despite their absence from duty.