CT scanners’ inauguration: ‘Quality health facilities help build a healthy nation’

SUKKUR:

Quality health facilities play a vital role in building a healthy nation, which could easily achieve the goal of development, according to leader of the opposition in the National Assembly (NA), Khursheed Ahmed Shah. He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a CT scanner at the Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Hospital in Sukkur on Saturday evening.

The installation of the CT scanner was a long-standing demand of the people, which has been fulfilled today, he said at the event. “Soon an MRI scanner will also be installed at the hospital, which will further benefit poor patients,” he said, explaining that last year, the annual budget of the hospital was Rs65 million, which was quite insufficient. “Therefore I sent a request to the chief minister, who was kind enough to increase the budget to Rs200 million,” he added. He said the scanner requires dedicated doctors and staff to operate and look after the ‘technical machine’.



“It has been observed that almost all the patients are getting quality medicines from the hospital and therefore it is my desire that all the medical stores situated in the premises of the hospital be closed down,” said Shah. He announced that next year, a state-of-the-art operation theatre complex will be built in the hospital, which will consist of five operation theatres and an intensive care unit.

There is still a shortage of around 60 doctors at the hospital and doctors and paramedics are also needed in taluka hospitals and basic health units, said Shah. “I will try my level best to get as many doctors for the hospital as I can,” he added.

He also announced that 200 more beds will be added to the hospital soon, besides purchasing more equipment, which will cost around Rs80 to Rs90 million. He also announced providing around 100 acres of land near Rohri Bypass for constructing doctors’ and journalists’ colonies. Addressing the deputy commissioner in Sukkur in a lighter mood, the NA’s opposition leader said, “DC sahab hurry up and allot the plots to the doctors and journalists, otherwise I will occupy the land”.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2016.