Famine in Thar desert - Mismanagement of Sindh Govt or doctors

KARACHI - March 2014: In an Emergent Cabinet meeting, held at PMA House, Hydrabad, PMA Sindh has shown a grave concern over the Famine-like situation in Thar region, and deaths of 32 children due to severe malnutrition, resulting in Pneumonia and other ailments.

PMA Sindh also condemns the statement of CM & MPA from Thar, who had put all the responsibility on “mismanagement” of doctors, instead of shouldering it himself and by his Government. Suspending the officers will not solve the problems. Appointing honest, qualified officers on MERIT, will solve it.

The Govt. of Sindh and the respected CM & MPA should remember that it was reported in 2011 that 70% of Sindh population is under-nourished, and 17.5% is severely mal-nourished.

If the Govt of Sindh had taken notice of these issues in 2011, this crisis would not have occurred. The poverty anre



d mal-nutrition is not due to the inefficiency of doctors. There is corruption and mis-management on part of the Sindh Government and the Dept of Health. The Stores in the Hospitals of the Thar area are vacant; the funds to buy medicines and equipment finish, even before the posting of a new officer.

There are postings and transfers every 48 hours. Most of the postings and Transfers are based on favoritism, corruption or “Sifarish” from CM house. Unfair recommendations from some MPA or MNA. Bribery also plays a great role. The previous Chief Secretary issued a letter last year, not to transfer the officers within one year, but the authorities did not pay heed to these orders.

The Directorate General of Sindh is Powerless; all powers are with the Special Secretary, who is a DMG officer, and is mostly not seen in his office. BPS 19 officers are posted at BPS 20 posts, despite Court order restrictions.

PMA Sindh demands from Balawal Bhutto and The CM Sindh :-

1. To remove CSS/DMG officers immediately from the dept of Health, they do not know anything about health, and are only interested in plundering national wealth through lucrative postings and Transfers.

2. The important posts in Health department, should only be filled with Doctors from General Cadre. Appointments should be on Merit, after fulfilling requirements.

3. There should be an Administrative Cadre in Health, in which doctors of General Cadre could be trained for future admin posts.

4. All DHOs and MS of these Hospitals should be from the General Cadre, on Merit, and should preferably have diploma in Public health or equivalent.

5. Four Tier and Three Tier system should be implemented more frequently and at short intervals. Doctors spending 19 years in the same grade, retire in the same, the health dept remains un-moved.

6. To create 5000 new posts in BS 17 grade, for male and female doctors, for employment as well as facilitation of general public. 550 will not suffice. These posts should be filled by Sindh Public Service Commission.

7. Specialist doctors must be posted at all districts and taluqa hospitals with operation theatre facilities.

8. The recent bill in the Sindh assembly should be cancelled, as it regularized doctors working on Adhoc-basis before 1990. This legislation is going to disrupt all the genuine seniority lists.