January 25, 2008	Friday	Muharram 15, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 24: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has asked the provincial health department to establish a modern trauma centre at a central location in the city on a priority basis, it was learnt officially.

Chairing a review meeting on the Accident and Emergency Centre and Ancillary Services Complex, Civil Hospital Karachi, at the Governor’s House on Thursday, Dr Ibad said that a city like Karachi needed, among various improved health facilities, a fully-fledged trauma centre where a series of emergency procedures could be undertaken under one roof.

He directed the health department officials to ensure that the proposed trauma centre was located at a place where people hit by road accidents and other mishaps could be rushed for timely, efficient and quality medical care, said an official present at the meeting.

Provincial Health Minister Fauzia A. Lari, who was also present, proposed that the trauma centre could be set up at the site of the former Milk Plant in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

“However, the governor called for some more suggestions, along with a working paper, saying that he was ready to extend full support for the establishment of the trauma centre,” the official added.

Coming to the proposed construction of the CHK’s accident and emergency centre, the Sindh governor said that the project had already suffered a lot of delays and now things should be taken up at the right pace.

“Enough has been said and a lot of consideration has been given; now it is time for practical implementation of the project,” he said, adding that related work on the ground must start by the first week of April this year.

Earlier, the relevant officials briefed the governor about the project details. Ms Lari, governor’s adviser Yusuf Jamal, Civil Hospital Management Board Chairman Abu Shamim Ariff, secretaries and the officials of the departments concerned were also present.

The governor directed the officials concerned that the provision for the establishment of a burns unit should also be made in the project, while more space should be dedicated in the complex for vehicle parking purposes. He also called for the establishment of a separate medical waste management system for the complex in question in line with internationally accepted practices.

The governor was told that the complex would be constructed on 5,886 sq yards at a cost of Rs1.438 billion to be shared equally by the federal and provincial governments. An amount of Rs729.107 million would be spent on the procurement of medical equipment.

The provincial health minister told Dawn that originally, it was planned that three floors of the 10-storeyed complex would be used for parking; but now, under the latest directive of the governor, the parking capacity would be increased further so that 600 cars belonging to doctors and attendants of patients could be parked within the complex.

She said that the complex would have two separate exit and entry gates at the two ends of the CHK.

The meeting also considered the financial matters of Civil and Lyari General Hospitals.