Largest teaching hospital of upper Sindh lacks facilities

LARKANA: The Vice Chancellor, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU), Medical Superintendent (MS) of Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and all the Head of Departments (HOD) have complained of non-availability of required facilities, including shortage of staff, medicines, instruments and equipment which has very badly affected the performance of the largest teaching hospital of Upper Sindh.

In a meeting of Hospital Management Board which was presided over the VC Prof; Ghulam Akbar Channa at the Syndicate Hall of Chandka Medical College here on Wednesday, the HODs said that from examination material to medicines CMCH is facing acute shortage due to which poor patients are suffering very badly.

They said professors are empty-handed but it is presumed that they are millionaires.

They said that outdated x-ray machines are installed in the hospital which is hub of patients of Sindh and Balochistan. They demanded latest machines including CT scan and MRI.

They said that the attitude of the employees with the patients is very rude which should be improved.

Prof. Rafia Baloch of Shaikh Zayed Hospital for Women said that over 40,000 women attend OPD monthly but there is no OPD slip for them due to which patients have to bring white paper sheets with them.

She further said the water of the hospital is not drinkable and security system is also worst.

Another HOD, Dr. Haider Baloch said that Endoscopy is treated like an operation theatre but had there been no help of university they would have to close this lone facility of upper Sindh long ago.

Dr. Mahboob Shah, CMCH MS accepted the complaints and said that he is given 15% of the total allocated budget out of which hospital is run for six months and 85% remaining budget is with Health Department as yet. He said under these circumstances he is helpless.

He said that all HODs should submit their requirements to him which will be sent to Health department for accomplishment.

VC Prof Channa said that teaching faculty of the university is complete and specialists are running out of the country because we are not only facing shortage of employees but machinery as well.

He said professors will never work under Hospital administration as they are highly qualified. He said facilities in the Hospitals are unavailable due to which professors cannot be blamed for negligence of others. He said that cats and rates are found in the hospitals which cannot be driven out by the professors. He said the hospital can only improve its working with the coordination and cooperation of all concerned staff.

He said that we will pressurize Sindh Government to allocate special budget for teaching hospitals to improve their service delivery. He said in next symposium a special session is being kept which will highlight the issues of the CMCH and provide recommendation on January 20 which will be sent to the government for implementation and then the ball will be in the court of Health Department.

He said that soon a filter plant will be installed in the hospital to supply safe drinking water.