PPP says no to district trauma centres

Treasury benches reject resolution moved by PML-F MPA

KARACHI: The opposition's demand to establish trauma centres in each district headquarter was turned down by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday.

During the session presided over by Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani, the opposition MPAs got the chance to move their resolutions given that it was private members’ day. However, none of them was passed.

The first resolution was moved by Pakistan Muslim League – Functional (PML-F) lawmaker Nand Kumar Goklani, who referred to the bomb blasts in Sehwan, Shikarpur and Jacobabad, and demanded that well-equipped, modern trauma centres be establish at each district headquarter in the province. "Government hospitals have no capacity to even deal with malaria and dengue issue,” he said. “During bomb blasts, the injured and dead are shifted through rickshaws, taxis and even pushcarts to local hospitals where untrained doctors and paramedics cannot deal with such catastrophes."



He added that the chief minister was busy in photo sessions instead of taking concrete action. "There are education and health emergencies in the province but the situation is pathetic at grass-roots level," he remarked.

Opposing the resolution, Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro said the government has started working on 42 trauma centres, of which 25 have been finished while the rest will be completed soon. "[it is] not only trauma centres – we have equipped all the government hospitals at district level," he said, requesting the PML-F MPA to withdraw his resolution, which was an ‘old issue’. Goklani, however, refused to do so. "Sehwan incident is not an old one,” he said. “Most of the injured lost their lives because [the] local hospital lacked the basic facilities."

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPA Dr Zafar Kamali called the heath minister's statement unjustified. "Is there any scheme of trauma centre in Mirpurkhas? The government might have plans but this scheme is not approved yet," he said. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Dr Seema Zia endorsed the resolution and suggested that trained doctors be appointed for trauma centres.

Fatal accidents on highways

PML-F MPA Mahtab Akbar Rashdi drew the attention of the house towards the fact that fatal accidents happen on highways but not a single trauma centre is available to attend to the patients. Briefing the house, the health minister said the government is about to start state-of-the-art ambulance service with a fleet of 300 vehicles to deal with highway-related and other accidents in the province.



After the discussion, the speaker put up the resolution in house for voting. It was rejected with the majority votes of treasury benches. The assembly witnessed uproar when MQM staged a walkout against the rejection of its MPA's resolution to fill the vacant posts of colleges’ teaching and non-teaching staff.

For increase in perks, all on board

Meanwhile, the Sindh Assembly agreed to form a committee when the issue of perks and privileges of lawmakers was raised.

Deewan Chand Chawla of the MQM requested the speaker to increase honorarium and allowances of MPAs due to skyrocketing prices of daily use commodities. The lawmakers thumped the desks and welcomed the opposition members' remarks.

Parliamentary Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro also endorsed the idea. "I know that the salaries of all government departments have been increased except this assembly’s MPAs," he said, adding that the Sindh Assembly has set a precedent in bringing more business but its members get lesser incentives than other provinces. On the request of the parliamentary minister, a house committee comprising five members was formed to look into the matter.

Later, the speaker adjourned the session till today [Wednesday].