KARACHI: The issue of the closure of a health facility for children in North Karachi echoed in the Sindh Assembly on Friday when a lawmaker belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan informed the house that the hospital shutdown had immensely affected the people, especially those living in the city’s Central and West districts.

The 100-bed Sindh Government Children Hospital (SGCH) was handed over to an Islamabad-based non-governmental organisation, Poverty Eradication Initiative (PEI), under the provincial government’s public-private partnership programme in 2016 after its renovation.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) had renovated the modestly-built facility at a cost of Rs1.7 billion and added a new block with 100 beds.

The hospital had hugely contributed to the needs of the residents and reduced the load on the city’s key children’s facility, the National Institute of Child Health (NICH). The Sindh government would pay an annual grant of Rs440 million.

Khwaja Izhar says the NGO-run hospital was shut for over two weeks; debate on law and order from 14th

Speaking on a point of order, MQM-P lawmaker Khwaja Izharul Hasan said that the administration had shut the hospital after the provincial government stopped the grant as the NGO-run facility was questioned by auditors for expenses to the tune of Rs180m.

He said he had spoken to people at the hospital where they informed him about the management’s designs behind closing the facility.

Health services at the hospital have been suspended for a few weeks and its doctors and paramedics are on strike due to the non-payment of their salaries.

Officials said the health department had stopped releasing funds to the NGO over the charges of misappropriation of funds and failure to provide high-quality services.

Under the agreement, the NGO was supposed to enhance the number of beds at the hospital from 100 to 200, which too did not happen, said an official.

‘Hospital shutdown a tool to force govt’

“Many people in the hospital told me that the hospital has been shut down as a tool to force the government,” said the MQM-P lawmaker.

He said at present just a single doctor was running the hospital’s outpatient department. He asked the government to take the facility back from the NGO.

“You should take it back and not allow the NGO to blackmail [the government],” he said.

He regretted the government had not taken notice of the situation despite the fact that the crisis persisted for more than two weeks. “The chief minister should cancel the contract of the NGO and ensure that it runs smoothly. This matter pertains to the health of our children.”

He warned he would join the protest of the hospital employees and residents of the area if the government failed to reopen the hospital by early next week.

Responding on behalf of the health minister who was not in the house at that moment, Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani said the government was trying to resolve the issue.

He said no government would want to shut down such facilities.

Debate on ‘bad’ law and order next week

Earlier, the house approved an adjournment motion tabled by MQM-P’s Muhammad Hussain seeking a discussion on “bad” law and order situation in the metropolis.

Mr Hussain presented the motion in the house and Mukesh Chawla, who holds additional portfolio of parliamentary affairs, said the treasury benches were not opposing it.

Later, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani said the discussion on the adjournment motion would be held on Nov 14 (Wednesday).

Before this, Awais Qadir Shah, Minister for Transport and Mass Transit, criticised Leader of the Opposition Firdous Shamim Naqvi for visiting his department’s offices without intimation and questioning the officials there.

Speaking on a point of order, he said the rules of procedure clearly said members could visit any government establishment with prior intimation to the authorities concerned. “After such visits members should report to the in-charge minister and the latter is bound to facilitate members and provide the required information.”

He said the ‘Old Pakistan’ was still civilised and law-abiding and he would be there to help the opposition leader with whatever information he needed.

Mr Naqvi said he had visited the transport offices because he was unspeakably disturbed over the pathetic transport facilities in the city.

He said no one knew when the Green Line project would be completed; the sponsor for Blue Line was not on the scene while PC-I of the Red Line was trapped in the files of the federal government.

Speaker Durrani advised Mr Naqvi to take in the loop the minister concerned to get relevant information.

Minister Shah said the Green Line project belonged to Islamabad. He said Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had submitted projects like the Red Line with the federal government with similar specifications. However, he added, Islamabad approved the Peshawar project and refused the Karachi one.

PTI’s Seema Zia tabled a privilege motion vis-à-vis alleged misbehaviour by the security staff of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases when she visited along with another MPA and two women.

Mr Chawla opposed the motion on the grounds that the lawmakers should have intimated the hospital administration prior to their visit. He said it was not proper as well on the part of the visiting members to snap pictures in the hospital.

However, the minister said the government would order an inquiry if the adjournment motion was withdrawn.

Khwaja Izhar demanded that the security officer concerned be suspended forthwith.

Health Minister Azra Pechuho said the department would launch an inquiry against the guard; however, the members should also not breach the privacy of patients.

Later, Seema Zia withdrew her privilege motion.

Resolutions

The house unanimously passed a resolution authorising parliament to enact a law regulating the matters relating to Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

Minister Nasir Shah said after 18th Amendment to the Constitution it was mandatory for parliament to get at least two provincial assemblies’ consent before amending, or enacting, a law relating to Ruet-i-Hilal.

In another resolution presented by Education Minister Sardar Shah, Allama Iqbal’s role in the creation of Pakistan and his philosophy was praised.

The chair adjourned the session till Monday.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2018