The massive encroachments outside major government-run hospitals of Karachi urgently needs the attention of Provincial Minister for Local Government and Anti-Encroachment Cell of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to resolve it on permanent basis and end patient's miseries.
The illegal parking and encroachments outside Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) are causing serious inconvenience to visiting patients, attendants and medical staff An administrative official at CHK told PPI that the massive encroachment was not only causing hindrance in the movement of ambulances carrying patients but also creating problems to people rushing to the hospital's emergency. He urged relevant authorities to immediately take notice of the situation and remove the encroachments and depute anti-encroachment officials outside the institution during rush hours.
Rizwan Ahmad, a patient in the hospital's emergency ward, told PPI news agency that he had to wait for half an hour to enter the hospital because of the traffic jams caused by encroachments and illegal parking outside the hospital. Similarly, some private rescue organisations had set up ambulance counters outside the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, causing nuisance to visiting patients and medical fraternity. Meanwhile, rickshaws and taxi drivers had also established their permanent stands around the hospital in connivance with local police.
On the other hand, all the linked roads leading to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital has been encroached by medical stores and private ambulances in connivance with KMC officials. Deputy Director & Focal Person, JPMC, Dr Jawaid Akhtar Jamali said the hospital authorities and patients had been facing difficulties due to traffic jams in rush hours. He informed that administration had requested the DIG traffic to play his role in removal of illegal parking and encroachments.