SHC wants action against absent doctors
Health secretary told to submit list of those doctors, who despite being posted in the Thar, have not arrived there.
The appellant claimed that the complainant’s version in the FIR never corroborated any circumstantial or medical evidence. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday constituted another committee to inspect whether the recently posted health officials and paramedical staff are present on their duties in Thar.
A division bench, headed by Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar, also ordered the chief secretary and the relief commissioner to supply wheat to the 22,758 families, who have not yet received the subsidised good.
The committee, headed by Tharparkar Additional District and Sessions Judge, includes two senior doctors and will submit a report regarding the adequacy, efficiency and effectiveness of various health facilities in the district with suggestions and recommendation.
The health secretary was told to submit a list of those doctors, who despite being posted in the Thar, have not arrived there. The secretary will inform the court about the disciplinary action against such doctors.
Food crisis
The judges expressed anger at food department officials for not providing information on the mechanism devised to help out the inhabitants during disasters.
They also directed former relief commissioner Fazlur Rehman, Mirpurkhas commissioner Ghulam Mustafa and deputy commissioner Makhdoom Aqeeluzzaman to appear in person to address the courts' queries.
The lawyer representing one of the petitioners, PILER, Advocate Faisal Siddiqui informed the bench that during the last hearing, Hyderbad DIG Sanaullah Abbasi was assigned the responsibility of finding the facts of the tragedy. However, neither is there any mention of such an assignment nor has the DIG filed a report.
The bench ordered the relief commissioner to request army aviation, among other departments, to provide air transport in order to help supply food and other articles on an emergency basis. The bench also demanded a comprehensive report in this regard by the next date of hearing.
Sindh attorney-general Abdul Fateh Malik and deputy attorney-general Aslam Butt were ordered to ensure compliance of the orders before April 8.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2014.