KARACHI, July 19: Concerned officials of provincial health department, including health secretary, medical superintendent, doctors and senior employees of Services Hospital have opposed the proposal of demolishing one of the oldest health institutions of Karachi for the sake of a new project called Accident and Emergency Centre. Secretary Health Prof Naushad Shaikh had opposed the proposal in a meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Secretary Fazlur Rehman last week.

He had stated that Service Hospital Karachi was one of the oldest institutes and the only facility for government employees in Karachi.

“It is functioning well and should not be demolished for another new project, while its location is not the most appropriate for the new project as well,” he had opined.

This meeting was also attended by Sindh Health Adviser Faisal Malik, who did not agree to the views expressed by the secretary regarding location of the hospital.

Faisal Malik had asked the officials to continue work on the new project by demolishing existing buildings of Services Hospital.

The Services Hospital’s medical superintendent had also expressed his reservation in writing fearing new project could create traffic, law and order and other civic problems in the area.

He had written a letter to Secretary Health Naushad Shaikh in this regard and told him that the hospital was being upgraded. Besides, the medical superintendent of Services Hospital said that Rs22.2 million were already spent in the last fiscal year to provide better treatment to government employees and their families.

In the meantime, following the directives of high officials, hospital administration had also asked its employees to vacate residences within 30 days, after which about 50 families were in state of shock on receiving of notice and worried about their future.

Talking to PPI on Tuesday, the employees residing in the residential quarters and flats located in the hospital premises said that they were not willing to vacate the residences and begged government to change its decision, as it would badly affect their lives.

Dispensers, nurses, midwives, OT technicians, sanitation workers and ward servants said that their salaries were so meagre that they could not afford a rented house. —PPI