Govt inspection: G-B chief secretary makes surprise visit to hospital

Unannounced visit came after a complaint was filed by International Human Rights Observer.

GILGIT:

Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Chief Secretary Sajjad Hotiana paid a surprise visit to a government hospital on Monday, where he witnessed firsthand its poor hygiene conditions.

“The washrooms need to be cleaned, so please give me a brush so I can do that,” Hotiana said, while standing in a dirty toilet.

The chief secretary was accompanied by dozens of senior government officials, public representatives and journalists that caught the Gilgit City Hospital management off guard.

Medical Superintendent Dr Fida Hussain, visibly embarrassed, said: “It’s okay, it will be washed, come sir, please.”

The unannounced visit was paid after a complaint was filed by International Human Rights Observer Coordinator Muhammad Farooq.



Hotiana also visited the medicine room and looked into other wards in the hospital, terming the situation as “pathetic.” Also part of his tour was the waste disposal site, where he bore witness to the waste being dumped into the river, polluting water which is used for consumption by many as it reaches downstream.

During the inspection, a crowd gathered around the chief secretary and complained about the staff. They also informed him about the shortage of medicine.

MS Hussain was asked to recruit new sweepers and replace those who do not carry out their duties honestly. Hotiana also issued standing orders to the health secretary to launch an inquiry pertaining to the hospital’s deteriorating situation, blaming the MS for the mismanagement.



Gilgit’s deputy commissioner and health secretary were directed to study Punjab’s waste disposal model and introduce the same in G-B. He also asked authorities to install an incinerator in one of the two main government hospitals. Once the waste disposal system is in place, those private hospitals in violation will be shut down.

Patients appreciated the chief secretary’s visit and lauded him for taking immediate action.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2013.