Karachi:Keeping in mind shortage of lady Medico-Legal Officers (MLOs) in Medico-Legal Department of Karachi, Sindh health department has increased sanctioned posts of female MLOs from 09 to 29.
Karachi Police Surgeon, Dr Qarar Abbasi, while talking to PPI, said Sindh government has raised the sanctioned posts from nine to 29 in budget 2020-21 out of which eight new female doctors have already joined the department. He informed that remaining posts will be filled soon.
He added that these lady MLOs are posted in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. He explained that Karachi is Pakistan’s most populous city. With a high crime ratio, it was facing acute shortage of female MLO as sanctioned posts had not been increased since 1980.
“The number of sanctioned posts have been increased from 71 to 91 with addition of 20 new female MLO,” he added. Dr Abbasi said training of newly posted lady MLO is under way to reduce burden on senior female MLOs. The posting of lady MLOs will help to deal with cases of rape, injured ladies and postmortem of dead bodies of females more effectively.
Dr Qarar Abbasi said ideally there should be at least four women and six male MLOs in every hospital, but many young doctors are not interested in entering in the medico legal sector. He informed that the MLO’s report containing the cause of death, time of death, nature of death, and other details compiled in an official form at the time of autopsy provides the basis for a court’s case, carrying an impact on the final decision.
He explained that the plan to make functional Medico-Legal Centres at Sindh Government Lyari General Hospital, Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad, Sindh Government Hospital New Karachi and Sindh Government Hospital Korangi as not materialized yet due to shortage of male and female MLOs in the city.