Karachi: Recent heatstroke crisis in Karachi has showed that longstanding demand of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) regarding opening a government-run teaching hospital in each of 18 towns of Karachi was a just and realistic demand but sadly it fell on deaf ears.
Karachi is amongst the biggest cities of the world; however, its civic infrastructure including healthcare centers are not up to the mark to serve 25million plus population of the city. Major patient load is sustained by Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH).
There is a dire need to make the Qatar Hospital Orangi and Sindh government hospitals in Liaquatabad, Saudabad, Korangi, New Karachi, Ibrahim Haideri and other areas teaching hospitals without further delay. The government should approve the SNEs of these hospitals in this regard and to arrange special funds for them on emergency basis. Karachi needs at least two big hospitals in government sector, one at Gadap near the Superhighway and other in Bin Qasim near the National Highway. In fact the Sindh government had constructed a major trauma center near the Superhighway besides Kiran Hospital near Safoora, but after the completion of building instead of the running this major facility it was given to a NGO, which is now running a big commercial hospital there.
There is a dire need to upgrade the near the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) to facilitate Karachiites. This hospital despite its administrative and financial weaknesses is doing a wonderful job to serve Karachiites. The role played by the doctors and medical staff of JPMC to treat thousands of sunstroke patients during past few days was just heroic.
However, this major hospital of the city still faces immense problems. The professors and doctors of this hospital are doing a good job, but politically-influenced associations of nurses and paramedics openly defend many black sheep in nurses and paramedics who get full salaries without performing their duties in the JPMC. In many wards the tasks of nurses and paramedics are performed by house officers and junior doctors. If the government bans politically-influenced associations of nurses and paramedics and ensure that all nurses and paramedics perform their duties on daily basis the service delivery of the JPMC could be further improved.
Poor sanitary and hygienic condition in the JPMC is an old problem which indicates to the failure of management to keep this major healthcare facility clean and tidy. The sweepers, jointers and other cleaning staff need to be managed in a better way and compelled to perform their duties instead of getting salaries without doing their job. There is a need that the ruling parties of Sindh should realize that it is high time to tell their politically-backed association of doctors, nurses, paramedics and other staff that they should shun politics and ghost work culture in the JPMC and encourage all staff to carry out their duties honestly and professionally.
However, even if the capacity of the JPMC is doubled or tripled, Karachi needs at least a dozen of government-run teaching hospitals in its four corners. The health department of Government of Sindh, run by a professional senior doctor, Dr Mahtab Hussain Dahar, should accept the old demand of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) regarding opening at least one government-run teaching hospital in each of the eighteen towns of Karachi.
Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and finance minster Syed Murad Ali Shah should provide the required funding for this gigantic task. In this regard the assistance of the federal government, philanthropists and friendly countries of Pakistan especially the Middle East and Gulf Muslim countries should be sought to make this dream of Karachiites come true.
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