Top court says K-P health system ‘worse than Sindh’s’

SC directs provincial govt to submit plans for disposing of hospital waste within 10 days

ISLAMABAD: The top court has directed the provincial government to submit, complete plans for disposing of hospital waste within 10 days as the healthcare system of the province was termed as being “worse than that of Sindh”.

Moreover, the provincial health minister and secretary have been directed to submit affidavits.

This was directed as a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, heard a case regarding disposal of waste generated by hospitals in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

During Tuesday’s hearing, K-P Health Minister Dr Hashim Inamullah Khan complied with the court’s summons and appeared before the bench.

The CJP posed to him that government hospitals in K-P were producing around 4.5 tonnes of waste every day but what is the government doing to dispose of it safely?

Dr Hisham told the court that they manage to dispose of around 4.07 tonnes of waste every day and that they were in the process of procuring machinery to dispose of the remaining waste.

Asked about the waste produced by private hospitals, Dr Hisham replied that it should be around 6.61 tonnes per day.

At his, the CJP remarked that undisposed waste causes disease and directed him to present a comprehensive plan for improving the health sector and its implementation along with affidavits.

The case was then adjourned for 10 days.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st, 2018.