Supply of medicines to Sindh's govt hospitals to be made top priority

Chief minister directs health dept to make bulk purchases, ensure supply by week end

KARACHI: Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has directed the health department to ensure the supply of medicines to all government hospitals by the end of next week. "This must be taken as a top priority."

This he said while presiding over a meeting of the health department at CM House on Monday. The meeting was attended by Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Health Secretary Fazalullah Pechuho, Principal Secretary to the CM Sohail Rajput, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi and others.

The chief minister said that the purchase of medicine has not been completed so far. Therefore, some of the hospitals are facing a shortage.



Dr Mandhro said that with the approval of the CM, 15% local purchase has been allowed, therefore, there is no shortage. "As per policy, 15% purchase is made locally while 85% is made centrally," he said.

Pechuho said that the purchase committee of the department has ceased to exist as some of the senior members have resigned due to personal engagements, while some others are out of the country. The CM directed him to adopt a legal procedure and complete the purchase of the medicine. "Give me a report of the supply of medicines within a week," he said.

Overall, the operational budget of the hospitals of the province comes to Rs18 billion, of which around Rs6.5 billion is the budget for medicine.



Urging patients to get medicine from hospital stores free of charge, the CM said that he has installed boards in all the hospitals. "Our people are very poor and they need proper healthcare," he said, adding that he has succeeded in his mission to some extent, but there is a lot more left to do to provide health services to everyone living in the province.

Talking about the public-private partnership operation of various government hospitals, the CM said that the private partners are operating in the best way.

The CM pointed out that the Drigh Bala rural health centre in Johi was in a dilapidated condition. He directed the health secretary to report to him on why it was abandoned. The health secretary talked to the Dadu district health officer for the report and the CM was informed that the building was complete, but has remained occupied by the police for some time. On this, the CM directed the health secretary to take over the health centre within a week and get it made functional.



Shah also directed the health department to submit a detailed report of all the health centres and facilities lying incomplete either for construction purposes or for want of sanctioned new expenditure. "I want to make all the facilities functional by providing them whatever they need," Shah said.

He directed the health minister to keep visiting hospitals and keep close coordination with all the hospitals so that they provide the best of their facilities to the people of the province.