Sindh Govt Liaquatabad Hospital Dearth of specialists affects patients’ care

MN Report

KARACHI- Dearth of specialist doctors and nurses at Sindh government’s Liaquabad hospital was badly hampering working of the health facility, well-informed sources told Medical News.

Elaborating, the sources said that seriousness of the issue could be gauged from the fact that as many 15 posts of senior medical officers are lying vacant.

“In fact, the health facility which is catering to the needs of 1500 to 2000 out-patient departments’ (OPDs) patients daily immediately require general surgeon, urologist, neurologist, pathologist and doctors for its casualty department,” they added.     

Moreover, there is an acute shortage of nurses because, at present, hardly 28 nurses are working in three different shifts as against their 50 sanctioned posts.

According to the hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Ansar Ahmed Ansari, the number of patients has been increasing day by day in all its major OPDs which include orthopaedic, paediatrics, gynecology, ENT, and other facilities such as cardiac emergency, emergency care, paediatrics nursery, diagnostics and blood bank facilities.

Besides, 35 patients have been availing dialysis facilities on regular basis free of cost, he added.
Asked about the catchment area of the hospital, he said that these include Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, FB’ Area, Federal Capital Area, Sharifabad and adjoining localities     

To another query, he said that though there is no shortage of medicines in the hospital, Sindh health department has been requested to increase the quota of medicines keeping in view the rising number of patients.

About the hospital’s development plans, the hospital’s MS said that a building for housing Breast Cancer Diagnostic Center has been completed where screening of women would begin shortly.

Besides, a new diagnostic center of the hospital will be made functional within two months.