June 17, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 12, 1429

HYDERABAD, June 16: The newly-appointed medical superintendent of the Liaquat Medical University Hospital, Dr Manzoor Memon, said on Monday that he had flatly refused to pay extortion money to any group or individual and would never do so even if it cost him his job.

Mr Memon told journalists over a cup of tea at the pres club that paying extortion money had become a common practice in the past. Without naming any individual or group, he said that 85 people approached him for extortion money during a month but he turned them away.

He said without mincing words that the extortionists also included some journalists and regretted that the previous administration was providing substandard medicines to poor patients in return for hefty commission, before he took over charge of medical superintendent.

He said that at present quality medicines of well-known multinational companies were being provided to indoor patients even if they cost more than Rs1,000. Different committees had been formed to curb malpractices in any transaction, he added.

Mr Memon said that a model ward would be established during next month and a special ward to deal with serious accident cases and a cardiac ward were also being set up at the Jamshoro branch of the hospital.

He admitted that pharmaceutical companies offered special packages to doctors for prescribing their medicines.

The hospital had 1,300 beds for indoor patients, 100 in the eye hospital and 600 each at Hyderabad and Jamshoro branches. The hospitals provided free of charge medical treatment to around 4,500 patients daily, he said.

He said that Rs10.5 million per year had been sanctioned for the indoor patients’ diet and disclosed that previously, 165 hospital employees were also getting food from the patients’ diet but he had stopped the illegal practice.

To another question, he said that the previous administration had appointed 408 employees on daily-wage basis with salaries ranging from Rs1,000 to Rs3,000 per month and 75 per cent of the employees usually remained absent from duty because they belonged to influential groups. He had stopped this practice as well, he said.

He said that Rs210 million had been sanctioned for purchase of drugs and in addition, the federal government had provided Rs10 million and provincial government Rs7 million.

According to rules, local purchase had been allowed to the extent of 25 per cent out of which 10 per cent was allowed for direct purchase in emergency cases and the remaining 15 per cent medicines were purchased on the basis of quotations, he explained. Purchase of dugs in bulk was made through committees, he said.

He said that 450 posts of grade-5 to 15 were vacant but there was no shortage of doctors.

APP adds: The National Accountability Bureau, Anti-Corruption Establishment and Sindh Health Department had initiated a joint probe into Rs210 million corruption in the Liaquat University Hospital’s Jamshoro and City branches, said Dr Manzoor Ahmed Memon.