LARKANA: Provincial Minister of Health and Social Welfare Department, Government of Sindh, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho took notice of the closure of Unit-1 of Shaikh Zayed Women’s Hospital (SZWH) in Larkana, after which the Special Secretary, Health Department, Muhammad Nawaz Soho, reached Larkana on Thursday and inspected SZWH along with Unit-1 (which remained closed for repair and renovation work), operation theatre, labour room and other units.
He directed the hospital administration to activate the other parts of the unit immediately. On the other hand, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Special Secretary of the Health Department, in which Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr. Gulzar Ahmed Tunio, Director Health Services Larkana Region Dr. Rustam Ali Bhutto, DHO Athar Shah, Dr. Ali Sarwar Shah, AMS. Dr. Afroze Wagan, Prof. Dr. Shahida Magsi and other officers participated.
In the meeting, the special secretary was briefed about the medical camps established for the flash flood and devastating rain victims, including the medicines and ambulance facilities, on which he instructed the officials to provide all possible medical facilities to the flood and rain victims suffering from various diseases. He further directed them to take efforts to protect the victims from malaria, gastro, skin, diarrhea and other diseases. He said that wherever there is a need for machinery, medicine or other equipment in all the public sector hospitals, they should be informed in writing so that the patients coming to the public hospitals of Larkana can get better medical facilities.
It must be mentioned here that the Director General, Health Services, Sindh, had recently issued a clarification that SZWH is being renovated by UAE (they donated this hospital to Larkana in 1974) which is a Gynecology/obstetrics facility, all three of its units are working 24/7 basis running emergencies, elective surgeries and this hospital is also providing services to other nearby districts including patients of Balochistan. CMCH MS had said earlier that 80% repair and renovation work of Unit-1 has been completed but it was opened due to emergencies of rain victims on the directive of Vice Chancellor, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University.
Special secretary also assured the CMCH authorities that all needed machinery, equipment and instruments will be provided for which a detailed list may be sent to the department but the insiders said that so many such lists have already been sent but outdated machinery and equipment is yet to be provided by the health department for which citizens have demanded to expedite the allocation of required funds owing to the rush of the poor needy patients who require proper medical treatment.