October 18, 2008	Saturday	Shawwal 18, 1429

KARACHI, Oct 17: The National Institute of Cardio-Vascular Diseases (NICVD) is facing an acute shortage of potable water, causing hardship to patients and their attendants, doctors, paramedics and other staff.

The problems is also creating trouble in the smooth functioning of the prime health-care facility where five to eight surgeries are performed on a daily basis.

The over 400-bed hospital is visited by 800 to 1,000 patients a day and the hospital management has to ensure availability of adequate water for different purposes.

However, the management says the hospital was not being provided its allocated quota these days although it was regularly paying water bills.

A senior NICVD official said on Friday that the utility concerned was of the view that the shortage was being felt due to soaring temperatures and an increased use of water at NICVD and the adjoining health care facilities.

He said that the NICVD management had made alternative arrangements to overcome water scarcity whenever it was supposed to hit the facility.

However, he added, it has become difficult to make such arrangements now when the tankers service was not readily available.—APP