KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday ordered that child protection units (CPUs) be established in all women police stations with the responsibility to deal child abuse cases.

He made his decision official while presiding over a meeting of the Child Protection Committee (CPC) at the CM House.

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Sohail Anwar Siyal and Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, Sindh IG AD Khowaja, retired Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid, principal secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, education Secretary Iqbal Durani, singer Shahzad Roy and others.

The CM said children symbolised the hope and future of a nation; they signified the beauty of a society and it was responsibility of governments to protect their future and secure that beauty.

“We have to protect them from all sorts of abuse and nurture them with self-respect, dignity and care,” he said.

He asked the Child Protection Authority (CPA) to convene its meeting and involve some experts on child abuse as well to evolve certain solid and workable recommendations for establishing CPUs.

He said such units should be established in a manner that children, their parents or guardians or friends of society could approach there easily.

“I want to receive these recommendations within a week,” he said.

A proposal for establishing CPUs at every police station was discussed in the meeting, but the CM said police stations had different public perception, which might not serve the purpose.

“Generally, people avoid going there. Thus, soft, decent and friendly units be established where children or victims of abuse and his parents can easily go,” he said.

“I am of the view that women police stations may be appropriate places where such kind of cases could be dealt,” he added.

The provincial police chief suggested that a separate desk for the protection of children could also be established at police facilitation centres.

He said those centres were being established at the divisional headquarters where the social welfare ministry could post their necessary staffs for receiving complaints and taking action.

The social welfare ministry proposed that a separate police force be established for the purpose. They said the force should comprise of senior women police officers having due support from properly trained policemen to deal such cases.

CM Murad Ali Shah said he wanted concrete measures that could ensure full protection to children.

“Such child protection units should be seen functioning and showing results,” he said, adding, therefore the Child Protection Authority should hold a full session and come up with solid recommendation.

“I don’t have problem with allocating funds for the purpose. I am even ready to outsource the centres if I am ensured that outsourcing would give better results,” he said.

Officials said the proposal to establish CPUs at women police stations had been approved; however, its implementation would be made after the CPA submitted its proposals with the chief minister in the stipulated one week time.

NICVD units

Presiding over the 77th governing body meeting of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), CM Shah appreciated its mobile unit services through which 18,700 patients of chest pain had been examined and given the first aid.

Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mendhro, Sindh Assembly Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, MPA Dr Sohrab Sarki, Health Secretary Fazal Pechuho, JPMC Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali, NICVD Executive Director Dr Nadeem Qamar and others attended the meeting

Dr Nadeem Qamar said the NICVD had launched five mobile chest pain units (CPUs) in Karachi’s Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulbai, Malir and Nagan Chowarngi. He added that since the launching 18,700 people, including 13,661 male and 5,039 female patients, were examined by doctors and concerned staff deployed on the mobile units. He said among 18,700 patients, 8,399 were cardiac, 10,201 non-cardiac and 8,904 were referred to the NICVD while 9,796 were discharged.

The CM directed Dr Qamar to deploy 25 more units in the city and another 40 in other districts of the province.The chief minister was told the NICVD’s satellite centre in Larkana was made functional on May 13, 2017, which so far benefited 704 patients. He added that weekly paediatric OPD was conducted there.

The CM said he would provide necessary funds for completion of the remaining construction work on the satellite centre in Larkana.

About NICVD’s satellite centre in Tando Mohammad Khan, Dr Qamar said since Oct 19, 2017, it had so far benefited 303 patients. He added that 80 angiographies, 101 early invasive, nine elective PCIs and 114 primary PCI procedures had been performed there.

About the NICVD Hyderabad, he told the board that it began functioning on Nov 25, and in about two months, it had performed 88 angiographies, 10 early invasive, two elective PCIs and 69 primary PCIs procedures.

The CM asked the NICVD chief to furnish a request for funds for the NICVD Hyderabad.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2018