Sindh to digitise drugs in govt hospitals

KARACHI:

The provincial government has started digitising medicines in public hospitals to prevent their illegal sale, with the digital system already launched at Civil Hospital Karachi to enable effective tracking, said Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference at her office, she said the People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) was being handed over an additional 150 health facilities, strengthening the province’s primary healthcare system. To address staff shortages in remote areas, the government is introducing a hire-and-fire mechanism through private companies.

Sharing data on communicable diseases, Dr Pechuho said 284,138 dog-bite cases had been reported across Sindh this year. Karachi alone has recorded 1,600 measles cases in 2025, while the province-wide figure stands at 3,180. She added that Karachi has reported 121 cases of diphtheria, four of mpox, and a combined seven cases of Naegleria and Congo virus. In addition, 151 cases of H1N1, 327 of Covid-19, 3,442 of malaria and 10,244 dengue cases have been reported in the city.

The health minister announced that paramedical staff would be recruited to address issues at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).