NAWABSHAH, Aug 31: The Sindh health department would appoint 2000 fresh doctors through Sindh Public Service Commission to meet the shortage of doctors in rural areas. This was stated by Dr.Hadi Bux Jatoi, Director General Health Service, Sindh while talking to reporters at People’s Medical College Hospital here on Wednesday.

Dr.Jatoi, who is also the president of Practitioner Medical Association (PMA) Sindh chapter and was nominated by PMA to contest for member seat in upcoming elections of PMDC, was on a visit to convince the doctors to vote for him on September 10.

The DG said that there was a shortage of staff including doctors in health centres throughout Sindh for which the government would soon appoint the doctors.

He said that the government would announce 2000 vacancies which would be filled through Sindh Public Service Commission and added that the test postponed by commission would be announced soon.

He said that PMDC was getting millions of rupees as fees from doctors and had at least Rs250 million in its account but not a penny was being spent for the benefits of doctors.

Criticizing the decision of PMDC that doctors who have not cleared the PMDC dues would not be allowed to vote, he said that PMDC was an institution and added that the decision was wrong and it must be reviewed.

He also criticized the decision of PMDC allowing the house officers to vote in elections and said that at least 2000 house officers would cast vote from Sindh for the first time in the history of PMDC and it would be pre-poll rigging.

He informed that about 2,3000 snake bite and 26,000 dog bite patients were being registered every year only in government hospitals of Sindh and appealed to all DCOs to run a campaign against stray dogs to reduce the figures.

He said that the Sindh government has earmarked Rs100 million in the budget for giving incentives to doctors working in rural areas of Sindh.

He also said that a laboratory to produce ASVs and ARVs would soon be established in Sindh over 100 acres of land with a cost of Rs55 million.

He said that number of polio cases have been reduced, adding that the government would eradicate polio from Sindh in one year. He said when he joined in 1998, there were 191 cases, and now in 2005, only two cases were reported.

He further said that the government has doubled the number of seats in all paramedical institutes of Sindh. The DG later visited gynaecology ward and house officers hostel and appealed to the doctors to vote him on September 10.