KARACHI, Feb 5: To strengthen its emergency services, the city government is planning to purchase two helicopters, a high-level meeting was told on Saturday evening.

The meeting was held at the Governor’s House, with Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan in the chair. Adviser on Local Government Waseem Akhtar, Chief Secretary Fazalur Rehman, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, Additional Advocate General Kazi Khalid Ali, Secretary Health Prof Naushad Shaikh, Secretary Local Government Ishaque Lashari, DCO Fazalur Rehman and other officials attended the meeting.

The meeting reviewed the availability medical and healthcare facilities in the city.

It decided to divide the Karachi Medical and Dental College of the city government into two separate colleges – medical and dental. It was also decided that both colleges would be affiliated to the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS).

The city government was asked to take steps in this regard under a vision of setting up of modern medical university in the city.

The meeting also reviewed matters belonging to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. It observed that the exterior view of the hospital looked like that of a jail.

It was decided that further improvements would be made to introduce in the hospital, besides its face lifting.

The meeting was told that a four-storeyed trauma centre would start working form Feb 15 with the cooperation of the private sector. This trauma centre will have facilities of an ICU, operation theatre and orthopaedic treatment.

The governor pressed for setting up a helipad at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to cater to emergency needs.

Dr Waqar Kazmi, chief of Abbasi Shaheed Rehabilitation Committee, told the meeting that the hospital’s rehabilitation project would be completed in two phases.

The administrative set up had been improved, security system privatized, and facilities of drugs, laboratory and x-ray fully provided in the first phase.

He said the renovation of hospital building, construction of a new drug store and water supply schemes were in progress.

He said under the second phase, a clinical audit system, revival of neurology and ENT departments and services of virology and immunization would be made available in the hospital.

Governor Ibad instructed that the nursing training programme in the hospital should be carried out in organized way. He also laid stress on the availability and training of paramedics.

He told the health department that all small hospitals and dispensaries in the nearby areas of big hospitals should be utilized as satellite hospitals.

He stressed the need that patient-care should be the first priority of every hospital in the province.—PPI