Sindh government has decided to take action against doctors who had gone abroad on ex-Pakistan leave but did not join their duties at the hospitals of their postings even after availing or expiry of their leaves, it was learnt. According to sources, a number of doctors of public sector hospitals, who had gone abroad on ex-Pakistan leave, have reportedly settled in foreign countries, thereby causing shortage of doctors in government hospitals at the cost of patients' sufferings.
Taking a serious notice shortage of doctors in public sector hospitals, Sindh Minister for Health Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar has directed secretary health to look into the matter and depute more doctors so as to provide relief to the patients. The minister has also asked the secretary health to take departmental action against all those doctors who did not join their duties even after expiry of their ex-Pakistan leaves.
He said senior and specialists doctors should be assigned duties in wards of the hospital so that the patients visiting government hospital could be provided best possible treatment facilities. Meanwhile, incidence of theft of medicine has reportedly created acute shortage of medicines in various public sector hospitals and thus forcing poor patients to purchase medicines from private medical stores.
Sources said that although the government had been spending huge amount on purchase of medicines, some corrupt officials have been selling the medicines to private medical stores. Patients and insiders claimed that medicines were being stolen from Civil Hospital Karachi, Abassi Shaheed Hospital, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, National Institute of Child Health, Qatar Hospital Orangi, etc. They also alleged that although officials of management of these hospitals knew that some unscrupulous elements are involved in selling medicines to private medical stores, they have been playing a role of silent spectators because of their vested interests.