Sindh govt yet to take concrete steps against stray dogs as rabies cases increase

Stray dogs inside Sindh Government Behbehani Hospital in Saudabad Malir District not only roam freely but sometimes become ruthless and bite patients and staffers of the health facility.

As cases of rabies are on the rise in the metropolis due to rising population of stray dogs in the city, the government seems least bothered to tackle the very issue, putting peoples'  lives in danger.

The health officials said, hundreds of dog bite victims, mostly children and women, are daily brought to the city’s major hospitals including JPMC, CHK, ASH, Indus Hospital etc for treatment of rabies injuries and vaccination.

Mayor Karachi in a most recently held City Council session said over 150 cases of rabies are reported only in the Indus hospital, on a daily basis, presently. He expressed his department's inability to control the rabies cases citing no existence of medicines, particularly anti rabies injunctions in KMC-run health units due to financial constraints.

Citizens also complained that they fear of being attacked by stray dogs, urging the government to make all out efforts to control the menace with an immediate effect.

He sought attention of Sindh Cheif Minister to provide injections. Data of government hospitals reported on sections of media revealed that at least 20,000 people were attacked and bitten by stray dogs in Karachi during 2018. This figure is shocking.