HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, Hyderabad circuit, has ordered the provincial chief secretary to notify a committee which will look into a mechanism for the handing over of teaching hospitals to their respective public-sector medical universities within the next three months.

The committee should comprise the secretaries of boards and universities; health, law and forest departments; vice chancellors of all public-sector medical universities; chairman of the healthcare commission, director general of Sindh health services; and executive director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), it said.

The bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Fahim Ahmed Siddiqui in its order issued on Wednesday said that the committee would examine service rules of civil servants working in teaching hospitals and also suggest a mechanism for disciplinary proceedings against civil servants and employees of universities.

The bench was seized with a petition filed by Mumtaz Ahmed Qureshi, who had questioned control of budget and medicines of Shaheed Benazirabad district resting with the deputy commissioner. The petitioner has cited the Peoples Medical University (Women) Act under which teaching hospitals are supposed to be part of universities. Health secretary Dr Fazlullah Pechuho was present at the hearing.

The bench noted that through a previous order, the court had directed the health department to hand over possession of teaching hospitals to medical universities. This order was challenged through a review application and an appeal filed in the apex court on July 18. The review application was later withdrawn by the department.

The health secretary informed the court that the issue of handing over teaching hospitals to universities involved the departments of health and boards and universities. He suggested setting up of a committee for the implementation of the court order and to examine the proposed bill of ‘Teaching Health Management Board’. He said that the committee should also examine the present situation of teaching hospitals as well as the difficulties faced by patients and medical students.

Private medical stores at hospitals

The court was also informed that the case pertaining to private medical stores at government hospitals was pending before the apex court after the SHC had ruled against it.

The health secretary admitted that the practice of establishing such medical stores by way of an agreement between the medical superintendents and owners of stores was illegal. The court was told that illegal stores were demolished in pursuance of the court order but later construction of stores within the compound wall of civil hospitals was started.

New emergency services

The court authorised the health secretary to ask the medical superintendents of such hospitals for cancellation of the allotment of those quarters at civil hospitals which were needed to be demolished for the establishment of new emergency services.

It said that a specific date for the occupants’ eviction be given and thereafter the area be utilised for new emergency centres with upgraded facilities.

Inquiry into LUH fire

The court was informed that an inquiry was ordered by the health secretary to look into the incident of a fire at the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH), Jamshoro, and it found that the fire was not accidental. Expired medicines worth Rs10 million were found in the adjoining rooms, according to the inquiry report.

The bench directed the health secretary to write a letter to the Jamshoro SSP for the registration of a case regarding the fire incident at the LUH bulk medical store. It said that Hyderabad SSP Amjad Shaikh would investigate the case and examine the inquiry report.

The Hyderabad SSP would be competent to seek assistance of the director general of health services and other quarters concerned.

Healthcare Commission

The health secretary informed the bench that the Sindh Healthcare Commission had been notified but its rules were not yet framed. Offices of the commission were also yet to be established in each division, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2017