KARACHI, April 13: The city government is procuring medicines worth Rs180 million for hospitals and medical centres under its control while millions of rupees have been spent on their renovation.

The health department has been activated on the directives of the city nazim to provide quality medical assistance to the people near their houses.

This was stated by EDO Health Dr Khalid Shaikh while presiding over a meeting here on Thursday.

He pointed out that city government was spending Rs350 million on health facilities and of this amount Rs180 million were being spent on the procurement of medicines from multi-national pharmaceutical companies before June 2006.

Dr Shaikh informed that in order to control the sale/purchase of leaked medicines outside the hospital, the medicines being procured would carry the monogram of the city government inscribed with a caution that “these medicines are not for sale”.

He said that the city nazim had warned of strict action in case any functionary of the city government was found involved in the sale/purchase of medicines, besides legal action to be taken against medical stores if found involved in the trade of the city government medicines.

Dr Shaikh said the medicines being purchased would be provided at the city government’s basic health centres, dispensaries, maternity homes, hospitals and rural health centres to ensure that medical facilities were made available to the residents of the goths in Karachi.

He also informed that the city government was bearing all the expenditure being incurred on the treatment of 22 women and children, who were injured in the stampede at the Faizan-i-Madina and were now under treatment at the Liaquat National Hospital.

Dr Shaikh said that attendants with these patients had been told that in case they had to purchase medicines from outside, the city government would refund the amount upon showing the receipt.—APP