KARACHI: Medical & Health Services Department of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has started cleaning of underground and overhead water tanks of KMC run health facilities to provide potable drinking water to patients.
The Director Medical & Health Services Department, KMC, with consultation of high ups of KMC officials has started maintenance of water tanks in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases, Spencer Eye Hospital, Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, Institute of Infection Diseases or Leprosy Hospital Manghopir, Rafiqui Shaheed Hospital, Landhi Medical Complex and other healthcare centres run by KMC.
The heads and medical superintendents of KMC run hospitals have been directed to initiate cleaning of underground and overhead water tanks to provide clean drinking water to visiting and admit patients. The maintenance of water tanks should be done on regular basis.
Senior Director Medical & Health Services, KMC, Dr Birbal Genani, while talking to PPI, said on the directives of Judicial Commission on provision clean drinking water, cleaning of underground and overhead tanks have been started in KMC run hospitals to provide potable drinking water to patients.
He informed that medical superintendents or heads of KMC have been instructed to ensure provision of clean drinking water to visiting and admit patients in their respective health facilities. He said heads of hospitals have also been instructed to ensure maintenance of water tanks on regular basis.
He said RO plants or water filter plants will be established in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital with help of Bahria Town Karachi to provide clean drinking water to patients. He further informed that water filter plants will also be setup in other hospitals of KMC in future.
He said Medical & Health Services Department administration was unable to clean the water tanks of regular basis in past due to the shortage of funds but now funds are available to maintain water tanks.
Earlier, the visiting patients and their attendants have been compelled to drink polluted water of underground water tanks due to unavailability of clean drinking water in KMC run hospitals. Some patients and their attendants use mineral water to avoid water-borne diseases.