Facilitating patients: Welfare trust to be given space in JPMC for meals’ distribution

Hospital authorities took the trust to court for occupying its premises

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) directed the provincial health secretary on Monday to provide alternative space to the non-profit organisation that provides free food to the patients' attendants at the premises of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC).

A three-member bench, headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim, also asked the secretary to visit the government health facility for this purpose and submit a report by Tuesday (today).

The bench, which also included justices Mushir Alam and Maqbool Baqar, was hearing a petition filed by the JPMC director Dr Tasneem Ahmed, who had taken the Saylani Welfare Trust to the apex court for operating on the hospital's premises. During Monday's proceedings, JPMC's joint director Dr Seemin Jamali said that the trust was using a portion on the premises of the hospital to provide free food to the visitors. She added that the trust had erected a shelter, thus occupied the portion.

The court was informed that the trust was asked to leave the site and an alternative space was also provided, but the trust management was not relocating. Dr Jamali claimed that the hospital itself provided free food to the patients.

Justice Amir Hani Muslim observed that when the hospital did not provide free dressing to patients, how would it then give them free meals.

Adjourning the hearing for some time, the bench members directed the health secretary to personally appear in the court on the matter. Later, the secretary, Dr Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo, appeared in the court.

The three judges directed the secretary to visit the hospital to find any suitable place where the 'dartarkhawan' could be relocated in a manner that it would not cause any problems for the visitors. Mangnejo requested for time, which was granted till Tuesday, when he would submit his report.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2015.