KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday directed the executive director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) to produce a complete breakup of all procedures including bypass surgeries conducted during the last five years at its all units across the province.

The provincial secretary finance department through a compliance report informed the SHC that the Sindh government had provided funds amounting to more than Rs38 billion to the NICVD during the last five years.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon observed that in the light of the reports placed before the court, it has became obvious that the health facility was a public sector hospital and it was receiving funding from the provincial government.

The bench further said that huge funds were being provided to the NICVD alone from heath budget, but the provincial government should not have denied its obligations in providing health facilities to people at hundreds of government hospitals functioning at district and taluka level in the province.

‘Miserable condition of government hospitals is an open secret’

It would have always been in the interest of public at large if such facilities are ensured at government hospitals operating in different parts of the province where common people rushed in case of emergency for basic health facilities, it added.

The miserable condition of such government hospitals is an open secret where stretchers and ambulances are not available and a good atmosphere with all quality equipment at these hospitals is the right of every citizen.

The bench in its order said that a comparative analysis of budgetary allocations of such hospitals and the NICVD had become necessary and thus it directed the finance secretary to submit budget allocations of the last five years released to the teaching and district headquarter hospitals before the next hearing.

It also asked the medical superintendents of teaching hospitals to come up at next hearing to assist the court as to what facilities they were providing and how much funds they needed in ensuring free medicines and other basic facilities to people.

The bench also directed the health secretary to ensure his attendance on Oct 14.

Doctor’s private practice

It said that the question it raised during the previous hearing for allowing NICVD doctors private practice had been answered by its management as the same was allowed only within NICVD which too was purposeful i.e to keep senior doctors available as well as help generate income out of such private practice.

The bench lauded a statement of NICVD that it was offering house job to the medical students, and directed its executive director to offer house job in all NICVD units by writing to the medical universities concerned. It also issued directive to the health secretary to ensure that house job must be allowed by NICVD and also work out a mechanism for training of medical officers of local hospitals at NICVD.

The executive director of NICVD in a compliance report contended that institution was initially established under the NICVD Ordinance 1979 and after the 18th Amendment it came under the realm of a provincial subject and thus, NICVD (Sindh Administration) Act 2015 was enacted.

He further argued that NICVD was an autonomous institution which was governed by the governing body headed by the chief minister of Sindh.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2021