Mandatory training: Health dept asked to address doctors’ shortage

Hospital wards forced shut as there are no doctors to run them, says petitioner.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) asked on Wednesday the focal person for the provincial health department whether it can be made mandatory for doctors to serve for a certain period in a hospital where they received special training in order to address the issue of doctors' shortage.

A division bench, headed by justice Sajjad Ali Shah, gave this direction while hearing a petition filed by Muhammad Nazeer Abbasi.

The petitioner had informed the judges that the vascular and isolation wards at Civil hospital were running under the supervision of Dow University of Health and Science but, for two years, they were closed due to a shortage of doctors.

The petitioner said that, due to the closure of both the wards, hundreds of patients are facing hardships. He pleaded the court direct the authorities to reopen them at the earliest.

During Wednesday's proceedings, health department's focal person Dr Saeed Qureshi appeared and filed a report, stating the wards were closed due to staff shortage. He maintained that the authorities had appointed a number of surgeons at the wards but they left the job after receiving training.

The judges asked the officer to tell them whether or not the government can enter into an agreement with doctors, by making it mandatory for them serve an institution for a particular period after receiving special training. Dr Qureshi requested for time to seek instructions from the authorities on the court's query. Allowing the request, the bench adjourned the hearing for two weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2015.