SHC orders chief secretary, health secretary to approve SNE

Shortage of doctors led to inadequate health services, claims medical superintendent

HYDERABAD: One-and-a-half decade after its creation, Tando Allahyar district has yet to get a tertiary healthcare facility even though a titular facility has been dubbed with that status. Civil Hospital, Tando Allahyar was elevated from the status of a taluka hospital yet it remains a primary healthcare facility in everything but name.
The official disclosure about this fact was made during a hearing in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday. "A civil hospital must be a 500-bed facility with an emergency ward, yet [our] Sanctioned New Expenditure [SNE] is not approved and the new building has been erected but not handed over," medical superintendent Dr Saleem told the court.



He said due to a shortage of doctors at the existing hospital, the administration was unable to provide adequate health services. According to him, nine posts of specialist consultants and 26 male and female medical officers are lying vacant at the hospital.
The bench, comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Fahim Ahmed Siddiqi, ordered the Sindh chief secretary and health secretary to fill the vacancies and approve the SNE. The court gave three weeks to the government to appoint nine specialists, six weeks to appoint 26 medical officers and three months for the approval of the SNE.



The bench put the Civil Hospital,Tando Allahyar project director on notice to come up with complete project details at the next hearing scheduled for the first week of October. The SHC directed Tando Allahyar district and sessions judge to depute a judicial magistrate at the hospital to ensure that patients are being provided medicines, meals and that oxygen cylinders are available at the facility.