Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Sunday said talks are ongoing with K-Electric to exempt hospitals from the city’s worsening power outages, as the healthcare system faces strain amid prolonged electricity cuts, Express News reported.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Sobhraj Hospital, Wahab stressed the need for uninterrupted electricity in healthcare facilities.
“We are in continuous contact with K-Electric alongside the health department to secure a load-shedding exemption line for hospitals,” Wahab said. “Work has also been accelerated on solarisation projects to mitigate future electricity crises,” he added.
Karachi has been experiencing hours-long power outages that have severely impacted daily life and hospital operations, leaving patients vulnerable during high summer temperatures.
Wahab emphasised that consistent electricity supply was “essential” for hospitals and that solar system installations are being actively pursued as an alternative energy solution.
Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, who inaugurated the NICU at Sobhraj Hospital, said the new unit would significantly enhance neonatal care.
“There will no longer be a need to transfer newborns from Sobhraj to Jinnah or Civil Hospitals,” she said. “The facility is equipped with 25 incubators and ventilators, treating even premature babies weighing as little as 600 grams,” she added.
She mentioned that new NICUs are also being established in Korangi, Azam Basti, and Jamshoro to reduce infant mortality rates, especially among low-birth-weight newborns.
The inauguration was attended by Sindh Health Secretary Rehan Baloch, SICHCN Executive Director Dr Jamal Raza, and former caretaker health minister Dr Saad Khalid Niaz.
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