• Officials say only 46pc of women in province are literate
• Interim CM pays surprise visit to Qatar Hospital

ARACHI: Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister retired Justice Maqbool Baqar was informed on Tuesday that the school dropout rate stood at a whopping 54 per cent in the province where more than 50pc of women were illiterate.

He was given a briefing by officials of the planning and development department at a meeting held here at the CM House.

The chief minister was informed that 72pc of the 55.69 million people of the province had access to potable water.

As for literary rate in the province, the CM was informed that the male literacy ratio was 71pc whereas it was only 46pc in the case of females.

Justice Baqar said that he wanted education to be given importance, as no nation could develop without it.

The CM was told that Rs2 billion had been earmarked for the construction of school buildings this year.

He directed the departments concerned to complete the construction and rehabilitation of the flood-affected school buildings across the province.

The meeting was attended among others by Chief Secretary Dr Fakhar Alam, Chairman P&D Shakeel Mangrijo, Principal Secretary to CM Hasan Naqvi, Finance Secretary Kazim Jatoi and other relevant officers.

The chief minister directed the planning & development department to work in close coordination with Wapda so that the K-IV project could be completed.

The CM was told that the K-IV Phase-I for 260 MGD would cost around Rs126bn and the Wapda authorities were executing it. It was further informed that the federal government had allocated Rs15bn in its Public Sector Development Programmes (PSDP).

Inquiry into Qatar Hospital affairs ordered

The CM ordered an overall inquiry and audit to ascertain the reasons behind the shortage of medicines, off-road ambulances, out of order lab machines and unsanitary conditions in the Qatar Hospital.

During his surprise visit to the hospital, he expressed his displeasure over the unsanitary condition of various wards where stretchers had dirty stained bed sheets and bad smell could be felt everywhere.

The CM noticed that some private medical stores were functioning inside the government hospital. He was told that the hospital administration had issued them vacation orders, but they had got a stay from the court.

The CM ordered the health department to pursue the case and vacate the stay so that their position could be taken over by the hospital.

The interim CM also visited the fleet of ambulances but most of them were found out-of-order and off-road. He expressed displeasure over the unhygienic conditions of the hospital, its streets, wards, corridors, machines, pharmacy, and ambulance service and directed the health secretary to conduct an inquiry and report him.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2023