KARACHI, June 18: The patients and medical staff of Sarfraz Rafiquee Shaheed Hospital have been facing immense difficulties due to the slow pace of development works for the last one year.

To make the matter worse, sewage-mixed water is also being supplied to the hospital for the last two weeks which has seriously affected medical services at the Out-Patient Department and Operation Theatre. The situation has reduced the number of patients as they are reluctant to go to the hospital.

The SRS hospital being run by the city government is located in New Chali, Saddar Town. It is the only government-run hospital in the area and as such the poor people have no other option but to visit this hospital.

Sources in the hospital said that the works and services department of the city government had started the uplift work of the building about a year ago. Due to this reason, the operation theatre, laboratory and the section of X-Ray and ultrasound machines were closed.

Two floors of the hospital building have been closed for the development works. A makeshift operation theatre and laboratory has been established at the second floor. The section of X-ray and ultrasound has been closed for one year and the poor patients are forced to get these medical tests from private laboratory.

The OPD is also set up at the open hall on second floor and all doctors have to sit with altogether. The third floor has been made for male and female wards both. The lift has been out-of-order for months and the patients are forced to use stairs to reach the ward.

Sources said that the existing operation theatre was lying in a deplorable and unhygienic state for one year. “The hospital management has to close the original OT for one year due to the construction work.

“The makeshift OT has been established at the open hall, which is neither air-tight nor sterilised. Toilets have also been set up in this OT,” sources said.

However, an official said that the development works had almost been done and finishing touch of the building was underway and all wards of the building would be opened by the next month.

To solve the contaminated water problem, he said that the hospital management has taken measures to get potable water through tankers.—Online