MULTAN, Oct 25: Nearly all state-run hospitals and health centres in the Punjab lack medicines and other material necessary to handle emergency and trauma cases.

The situation, prevalent since the start of the current fiscal year, forces doctors to refer most emergency cases to private clinics and hospitals.

Health Department sources here told Dawn Governor Lt-Gen Muhammad Safdar (retired), had taken a serious view of the situation.

The health minister, they said, had been directed to ensure availability of medicines at district and tehsil headquarters hospitals, rural health centres and basic health units.

Executive district officers (Health), they said, had called tenders in the first week of October for the supply of medicines and other goods but only some little-known local pharmaceutical firms had responded. The EDOs, therefore, had to seek extension in the dates for the submission of tenders.

When contacted, a senior Health Department official said reputed pharmaceutical firms had stayed away from the process because of apprehensions about EDOs’ financial powers.

He said that the EDOs were empowered to accept tenders only up to Rs50,000 and procure medicines up to Rs150,000 but the tenders invited by them involved purchase of medicines worth millions of rupees.

Under the devolution plan, the task of procuring medicines has been entrusted to the newly-established district governments. Like other sectors, the working of Health Department has been affected due to the transition process which is likely to last till December, he said.

Contempt notice: A local court of Dera Ghazi Khan has issued contempt notices to the chief editor and other staff members of an Urdu daily.

Judge (class one) Mian Abdul Ghaffar has been hearing a defamation suit filed by former director, health services, Multan, Dr Iqbal Khan and his brothers against the newsmen to the tune of Rs 30 million as compensation.

During the proceedings, the judge barred the daily from publishing any “false and baseless” stories against the petitioner. But the newspaper reportedly did not comply.

The court, therefore, summoned the editor and others to defend the contempt of court charges on Nov 1. It warned of an ex-parte action if the respondents did not appear.