HYDERABAD: The Sindh High Court Hyderabad circuit bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Mohammad Iqbal Mahar on Wednesday ordered a probe into non-functioning of an angiography machine at the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) since 2012. The machine, according to LUH medical superintendent Dr Wajid Memon, was damaged by an assistant professor of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS).

The bench observed that it was amazing and painful that the machine had been lying non-functional since 2012 but the provincial health secretary had not taken any action so far. It ordered the secretary to constitute a committee to conduct a probe into the matter and take action, under law, against the person who had damaged it.

The court passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Sakina Mallah, who is seeking recovery of a newborn baby, kidnapped from the hospital’s ward.

The investigating officer of case informed court that the Hyderabad SSP had formed a team headed by DSP Aijaz Baloch to recover the newborn. The bench directed the team to appear before it in person on Dec 22.

Dr Memon informed court that a new angiography machine was provided to the LUH by health department and would start functioning within two-three weeks. He said the machine in operation earlier was deliberately damaged by assistant professor Dr Faseeh Hashmi in 2012. An inquiry was held and he was held responsible, he added.

Published in Dawn December 8th, 2016