QUETTA: Balochistan High Court (BHC) Chief Jus­tice Jamal Khan Mandokhail has ordered suspension of the medical superintendent (MS) of Divisional Head­quarters Hospital, Turbat.

Justice Mandokhail, along with other BHC judges, paid a surprise visit to the hospital on Thursday and took round of its different sections.

He found the hospital in a very poor condition and observed that its staff was not paying proper attention to patients and providing low-quality medicines to them or asking the poor patients to purchase drugs from the market.

The chief justice visited operation theatres, emergency, surgical, medical and gynaecology wards and the laboratory and expressed anger over the poor cleanness condition there.

Justice Mandokhail observed that no pathologist had been appointed in the laboratory and a technician was running it. He ordered the additional health secretary to appoint a pathologist at the hospital immediately.

He found X-ray and ultrasound machines out of order in the hospital.

The chief justice ordered an inquiry into the matter and asked the authorities concerned to take steps for improving the health facilities in divisional headquarters hospitals.

Justices Hashim Kakar, Nazeer Ahmed Langov, Rozi Khan Bareech and Hameed Baloch, BHC Registrar Rashid Mehmood, Inspection Judge Abdul Qayyum Lehri and Secretary to the CJ Malik Shoaib Sultan accompanied the chief justice during the visit.

Chief Justice Mandokhail also visited the district and sessions court in Turbat. Addressing members of the Turbat Bar Association, he said that the judiciary had rekindled the hope of the common people that there is someone who will protect their basic rights. He announced a grant of Rs2 million to the bar association and assured its office-bearers to solve problems of the lawyers on priority.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2020