KARACHI, March 20: The foundation stone of a diagnostic centre and dispensary, to be built for the outpatient department of the Civil Hospital Karachi, was laid on Thursday by the provincial minister for local bodies on behalf of the chief minister.
The proposed multi-storey diagnostic centre and dispensary is to be built at a cost of Rs6 million, which has been donated by a local philanthropist, Abdul Sami Khan.
The centre consists of three floors, equipped with modern facilities of X-Ray, ultrasound, an outpatient department for cancer patients and dental OPD.
Soon after the foundation-stone laying ceremony, many philanthropists pledged to help the hospital complete the construction of the centre.
Speaking on the occasion, the Civil Hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Prof Noshad A Shaikh, pointed out that after the completion of the new building the outpatients will be provided diagnostic services under one roof.
He described some of the projects that had been undertaken by his administration under the Public Private Partnership programme, during the last two years. He claimed that his hospital’s cardiac surgeons performed free bypass surgery, which was an expensive undertaking by any standards.
Prof Noshad announced that the students of the Dow Medical College’s batch of 1978, following the footsteps of their seniors, had vowed to undertake a new project on CHK’s premises. “The details of this project will be revealed in due time,” he said.
Referring to the problems faced by the hospital, he said most of the funds to be spent on medicines had not been released yet.
He urged the authorities to allow the CHK to directly procure medicines that were to be distributed among patients.
Mr Khan said he wanted to work for the welfare of the needy people, thanking the CHK’s administration for affording him the opportunity to undertake a project in this regard.
Mr Khan proposed that a committee be formed which could workout, in collaboration with the government officials, modalities for future plans under the Public Private Partnership initiative.
On the occasion, the principal of the Dow Medical College, Prof Illahi Bakhsh Soomro, praised the professors and the administrators, who had encouraged joint public-private initiatives at the hospital.
He particularly recalled the services rendered by Prof Abdul Rahim, Prof M Sharif and Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi.
Additional Health Secretry, Iqbal Diwan, was of the view that people were generally reluctant to pay taxes because they didn’t have enough confidence in bureaucrats. “But they are always ready to donate huge amounts to Edhi, for instance.”
The local bodies’ minister Mohammad Hussein, said that no government, in the current economic situation, was in a position to meet all the demands of the people. He said that every year a big portion of the total spending had to be spent on defence and debt-servicing expenditures.
The present government, he said, attached special importance to the sectors which constantly touched the life of common man, namely health and education. He also read out the chief minister’s message.
The City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, was also present at the event.
