KARACHI, Aug 16: The Sindh health department has directed doctors to perform election duties on Aug 18. Sources told Dawn on Tuesday that at least 50 per cent of the doctors in the health department would perform election duties, adding that a shortage of doctors in hospitals on the election day would greatly inconvenience patients.

The sources said that it was the first time that doctors had been asked to perform election duties. The doctors had been assigned election duties in pursuance of Rule 15 of the Local Government Election Rules, they said.

Sindh health secretary Dr Noshad Shaikh said that over 15 doctors had been taken from each hospital from all the districts where local body polls were being held on Aug 18.

He, however, insisted that patients would not suffer because of the unavailability of doctors.

But doctors said that their performance in hospitals would suffer for at least three days – from Aug 17 to Aug 18.