KARACHI, Oct 26: The Sindh Health Department is looking for specialized physicians and paramedical staff, including women nurses, willing to serve the earthquake affected people in Azad Kashmir and northern parts of the country.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Sindh Health Minister Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani said that on the request of the federal health ministry, the provincial health department was considering another batch of doctors and paramedics very soon for treating earthquake survivors.

Though the department was relying on its own employees, there was room for doctors and woman nurses from the private sector as well to volunteer for the cause of humanity in distress.

“We intend to dispatch a team of 75 members, including 15 doctors mostly orthopaedic-, neuro- and general surgeons and 60 paramedical staff, on rotational basis,” he said.

He said that the new health mission would be airlifted to Islamabad and other affected areas with the support of philanthropists.

He said that like other provinces and departments, the Sindh Health Department was already contributing towards the treatment and rehabilitation of affected people, but the task was huge and the government alone could not meet the requirement.

The minister said he had recently visited the quake-rocked areas and felt that there were still a number of places where doctors or relief workers could not reach, while people, including children, were passing days without shelter.

“So far, the health department has provided medicines worth Rs15 million and 60-70 health personnel for quake victims, and it wants to continue the process with the support of donors and medical professionals,” he added.

According to the minister, doctors and paramedics, especially nurses, OT technicians and dressers, who wanted to volunteer their services to health department, should immediately contact Capt Dr Abdul Majid, Additional Secretary of Health Department, on phone no 9211563 and cell no 0333-2118534.

He said about 56 survivors evacuated from quake hit areas had been brought to Karachi for treatment both in government and private hospitals, while about 100 beds had been additionally allocated to accommodate the antici-pated arrivals of patients in bulk through government channels.