Minister directs hospitals to remove political parties’ offices

All major public hospitals in the city housed offices of various political parties

KARACHI: Sindh health minister Jam Mehtab Dahar has directed the managements of all public hospitals in the city to remove the offices of political parties from their premises, ordering them not to take any pressure while taking action against them.

The major public hospitals, including Civil Hospital, Karachi (CHK), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, National Institute of Child Health and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, until now, housed the offices of various political parties that enjoyed influence in the area where the facility was located.



"These should be hospitals, not offices of political parties," he directed the officials. The minister has also asked them to immediately remove political slogans, banners, pamphlets and other such materials from these institutions.

Most of the time, the paramedical staff affiliated with these political parties harass doctors and is involved in different administrative matters. "They threaten the doctors when a complaint is registered against them. The administration, on the other hand, doesn't take any action because of their political support," said a doctor at CHK, who wished not be named.

Appreciating the health minister's orders, the doctor said that it will also be beneficial for patients. "They charge money from needy patients and also occupy some rooms in the hospitals," he added. "It is the prime responsibility of public hospitals to provide better facilities of treatment to patients, who should feel comfortable when they visit the facilities," said Dahar in the meeting.

The doctors, especially female staff of the hospitals, say that political involvement in hospitals creates a strange environment, disturbing the professional environment for them.

"The paramedics affiliated with political parties do not perform their duties regularly," said a female staff of the JPMC, adding that graffiti on hospital walls creates an ugly atmosphere for staff and patients. The minister's direction comes four days after a letter was circulated by the CHK medical superintendent, Saeed Quraishy, ordering political parties to vacate the premises as directed by the law enforcement agencies, with further intimation to the 61 Wing, Abdullah Shah Ghazi Rangers.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th,  2015.