Outstanding dues: Five hospitals lose gas supply

Each of the health facilities has arrears worth millions of rupees

KARACHI:

The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) suspended gas supply to five major medical facilities, giving a final warning to one more to pay their dues within the next 15 days.

The SSGC team disconnected the gas connections at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), the 100-bed Liaquatabad Hospital, the 100-bed Sindh Government Hospital in Khokrapar and National Institute of Child Health (NICH) on Thursday.

"The managements of all these hospitals had been given several notices," said the SSGC spokesperson, Inayatullah Ismail. He added, however, that supply to the JPMC had been restored later in the evening after assurances by the finance secretary, Sohail Rajput. "We have been assured that the amount will be released within a week."

It wasn't the current year's bill, clarified JPMC's focal person, Dr Javed Jamali. He said that the liabilities had not been paid since 2010. It was the right of the gas company to disconnect the supply, he added. According to the hospital management, the provincial finance department was approached on Thursday after the supply was disconnected. The finance department immediately contacted the SSGC, asking them to restore supply to the health facility.

The defaulters

The official statement issued by the SSGC said that the JPMC, NICH, Liaquatabad Hospital, Sindh Government Hospital, Khokhrapar and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation's solid waste management plant owe the gas utility Rs26.6 million,  Rs3.15 million, Rs3.05 million, Rs0.86 million and Rs5.58 million, respectively.  Ismail said the supply to the Sindh Government Hospital, Khokrapar, was also resumed after assurances by its management to clear dues in 15 days.

Humanitarian grounds

According to SSGC officials, the company had, until now, avoided disconnecting supplies to hospitals and other healthcare facilities purely on humanitarian grounds. The officials maintained, in fact, that the company's policy was to provide ample opportunity to all defaulting institutions to settle their dues before taking any drastic action. The utility company's managing director stressed, however, that the defaulters will be taken to court if they did not clear their dues.

Serious repercussions

The Lyari General Hospital also owes Rs1 million while the NICH has to pay Rs3.1 million. Ismail said the SSGC team had disconnected supply to the NICH and had warned the Lyari General Hospital's management to clear the outstanding within 15 days.

Meanwhile, the ASH has to pay Rs20 million. Sources said that the hospital had two connections, but one was disconnected earlier. The management was illegally using the second connection which was also disconnected on Thursday.

"It is not the fault of the health department," said the provincial health secretary, Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo. He reasoned that the respective hospital managements had not paid their dues for the last several years, adding that most of the major hospitals were facing financial issues.

Mangnejo, who has recently taken charge as secretary, assured that gas supply to all hospitals will be restored by today (Friday). "We are trying our best to resolve the issue."

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2015.