OPD, influenza lab at Civil Hospital inaugurated

Sindh health department is facing financial problems but is committed to meet the healthcare needs of the masses without any compromise on quality and availability, said Sindh Health Minister, Dr Saghir Ahmed on Friday. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Medical OPD and Sentinel Influenza Surveillance Laboratory, Civil Hospital, he said due to natural calamities, the country has recently been exposed to have severely affected resources.
He called for uniformity in the issues relating to appointment of staff and inception of new healthcare centres. "Lack of proper need assessment is the cause of unnecessary burden on the already finance constraint health department," he remarked. Dr Saghir appreciated donors for assisting the department in establishment of extremely essential facilities at Sentinel Influenza Surveillance Laboratory.
"Fast changing environmental conditions have engendered new variety of ailments and infections that need proper surveillance," he said. He added that support extended for refurbishment of existent facilities is also appreciable as it directly affects the patients.
Medical Superintendent, CHK, Professor Said Qureshi expressed his gratitude to Merck (Private) Limited Pakistan for its assistance in refurbishment of the Medical OPD. The OPD has been refurbished against a cost of Rs 5.2 million and additional facilities have been arranged for patients suffering from hepatitis and diabetes.
He added that a dental OPD has also been opened to meet the growing needs of patients coming with oral diseases. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Suresh Kumar, Focal Person, Swine Flu Surveillance Cell said the laboratory is one of the modern facilities in the province where 12 different strains of influenza could be diagnosed. "The idea is to keep a vigil on emerging pattern of viral infections and develop an efficient strategy to address it," he said.
The laboratory that has already been put into operation is manned by qualified personnel and hold provision for gadgets as Real Time PCR, Master Mix, Autoclave, Safety Cabinets, Incubators, Refrigerators etc. "Focus is to acquire 100 percent accuracy," Dr Suresh maintained.