‘Liaquat hospital creating constraints for Edhi ambulances’

Foundation accuses hospital of not allowing charity service ambulances to park

HYDERABAD: The Edhi Foundation has complained that the Liaquat University Hospital (LHU), aka Civil hospital, is creating constraints for parking of ambulances inside the hospital.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, the foundation's regional incharge Mairaj Ahmed claimed that the administration is not allowing them to park more than one ambulance inside the hospital premises. "While the ambulances of the charity service are being pushed out, the private ambulance operators are getting more calls from the people for transporting patients and the deceased," he claimed.



According to him, the Edhi and Khidmat-e-Khalq foundations are the only two organisations that are given access in the hospital. The other charity groups, as well as the private ambulance operators, are not allotted parking. The foundation was allowed to park up to three ambulances, however, now only one can be parked, he added. Ahmed claimed that the new restrictions began soon after former medical superintendent (MS) Dr Wajid Ali Memon's retirement and when the new MS Dr Abdul Wahab Wadho took over recently. "He is being misguided by some officials against us," he claimed.



The additional medical superintendent (AMS) Dr Pir Manzoor Ali told The Express Tribune that in 2015, the hospital administration had allowed the two organisations to park only two ambulances each at one time. "But they began bringing five to six vehicles at one time, which created traffic problems," he added.

The AMS denied that any recent stricture, in writing or verbally, has been given to either of the two charity services. He also claimed that the hospital has not received any written complaint from the foundation in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2017.