OKARA: Questions have been raised about the site selected for the trauma centre of the District Headquarters (DHQ) City Hospital as the centre’s entry is likely to be completely unapproachable.

There is a feasible site available at the corner of 60-40 feet wide road but it has been ignored by the hospital administration and the ruling party members currently behind selection of the site.

The site selected for the trauma centre for which the Punjab government released funds is just 15 feet from the main entrance to the medical ward & children ward of hospital and it is just adjacent to the newly-constructed mortuary block.

The trauma centre would have no direct approach except from the hospital’s eastern side boundary wall from a 15-foot road, leading to the Stadium along the western boundary wall of the Government Associate Degree College.

After construction of the centre, there would also be no easy access for the cardiology and orthopedic wards of the hospital.

Various representatives from different segments of the society, including Anjuman-i-Tajiran and social organisations, requested the hospital administration to change their plan but to no avail.

The government had approved Rs100m for establishing the trauma centre in its annual development programme in the last financial year.

A few weeks back, the Primary & Secondary Healthcare secretary visited the hospital as well as the trauma centre site. The civil society and local government representatives, led by municipal councillor Abdul Hameed Juj, requested the secretary to change the site and pointed out available options in the hospital. The secretary directed the health authorities to look into the matter but the situation remained the same.

This correspondent called DHQ City hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Mahar Akhtar Hussain Baloch for his comments but he was reluctant to talk on the ‘issue’.

It is going to be the only trauma centre on the national highway between Lahore and Multan as the former was 130km from Okara and the latter 217km.

The civil society has demanded Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, secretary health,

Okara-based ministers Syed Samsam Ali Bokhari, Ijaz Alam Augustine, the PTI local leaders and Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Ijaz others to intervene and change the site of the trauma centre for proper functioning of the centre as well as other wards of the hospital.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2021