LARKANA: The Vice Chancellor, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU), Larkana, Prof Ghulam Asghar Channa, said on Saturday that university must have at least its own 500-bedded capacity teaching hospital.
He said that the government was providing better facilities to the people and with low expenditure, they teach students along with better facilities but on the contrary, private medical colleges were charging them much more fees with lesser facilities.
He recommended that teaching hospitals must be run through a committee and not by a single person, which must be inclusive of VC, MS and any professor having knowledge of administrative affairs. He said relevant professor must also be appointed for procurement of required drugs, equipment and medicines so that proper medicines and machines are purchased.
He said hospital and medical university all over the world is one. He was speaking at the symposium on 2nd day entitled “Approach to the health issues of masses” at the Areeja Campus of the university near here on Saturday which discussed threadbare issues of the teaching hospitals of the Sindh province.
Medical Superintendent of Chandka Medical College Hospital, Larkana, Dr. Syed Mahboob Ali Shah complained that medicines procured out of their 85% annual budget allocation had not yet been received in the CMCH. He said that after centralization of procurement process in Sindh, issues of the teaching hospitals had multiplied.
He said that he had run the hospital just within 15% of the allocated budget which was astonishing. He said the hospital affairs and performance could not be improved unless political and unionism involvement was not stopped.
He said inexperienced MSs had been posted which will also not improve the working of the healthcare system. Shah said that despite several letters sent to health department no permission for fresh recruitment has been granted which is why acute shortage of staff is being experienced in every department of the CMCH. He said there are only five ambulances whereas there should be 15 ambulances being the most important hospital of upper Sindh. Shah said that they are facing severe pressure including judiciary, media, NAB and other probing agencies. Prof. Nadim Rizvi said that Bangladesh is spending 4% of the GDP over healthcare system but in Pakistan we are spending less than 1% of the GDP which is alarming adding under these circumstance how can healthcare system be improved. Sindh Minister for Health Dr. Sikander Mandhro said that doctors were worshiped before but now they are feeling insecure. He said you will have to see where the fault lies. He said the attitude of doctors with the patients is not good. He said without insurance treatment is not provided around the globe but we provide free treatment facilities to the poor and even then complaints are made. He said that they will bring a new bill in the assembly soon to combine university and hospitals.