KARACHI: Abbasi hospital MS lacks powers: Decline in services
By Nizamuddin Siddiqui
KARACHI, June 23: It seems that the medical superintendent of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital has very little control over the financial and administrative affairs of the institution, as the quality of the services offered by the third largest public sector hospital in Karachi is declining rapidly.
Inquiries made by Dawn on Monday revealed that even the employees’ leave applications are not dealt with by the MS independently, and he had to forward the applications, filed in his office, to some senior officials in the city government. Similar is the case with the employees’ transfer and posting orders.
When approached, the MS, Prof Masood Javed, confirmed that this indeed was the case. Elaborating, he said, there were two sets of doctors in the hospital, one set could be described as the teaching doctors, while the other as the non-teaching doctors.
The applications and transfer or posting cases involving the teaching staff were never put to the MS, disclosed Prof Javed. These doctors were answerable, directly, to the principal of the Karachi Medical and Dental College, with which the hospital was attached. “So it is the KMDC’s principal who takes decisions involving leaves and transfers of the teaching staff,” the MS said.
He said the cases involving the non-teaching staff, on the other hand, were dealt with by some senior officials in the city government, who were appointed by the provincial government.
Talking about the difficulties faced on the financial side, Prof Javed stated that according to the rules of operation, the expenditures of Rs50,000 could be approved per week. But this, too, has to be approved by some officials in the city government.
On his own the MS could approve expenditures below Rs500 only. “If for instance, I have to buy a telephone set which costs Rs1,000 I will have to produce two receipts of Rs500 each to satisfy the rules of operations.”
Prof Javed, who is a neurosurgeon, said his hospital had 835 beds and 1,700 employees. “In such circumstances allowing expenditures of only Rs500 or below is an anomaly which must be removed if this hospital is to perform satisfactorily.”
In response to a question, the MS said in March he had discussed the issue with the City Nazim Naimatullah Khan. The professor expressed the hope that the Nazim would take interest in the affairs of the hospital and before long the decline in services would be arrested.
Answering to another question, Prof Javed said about 30 per cent of the positions were vacant in the hospital. “These positions have become vacant either because of transfers and deputations or long leaves.”
The deputy superintendent of the hospital — Dr M Khalid — said recently the hospital was given medicines and equipment in ample quantities, which were expected to last for at least next six months.
The buildings of the hospital had been badly affected by seepage, said Dr Khalid, adding that the work had been undertaken, recently, to address this problem. “Good quality pipes and conduits have been acquired in connection with this project.”
Under this project, water and sewerage lines are to be repaired or replaced. He added that soon the ten-year-old problem would be resolved.
Dr Fayyaz Alam, the institution’s media coordinator, pointed out that the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital was the first public sector health care centre which started paying stipends to the postgraduate doctors working for it.
He said one of the main problems facing the hospital was the lack of a link between the administration and the teaching staff.
