HYDERABAD: Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (rtd) Maqbool Baqar has ordered director general of Health Services Sindh to carry out inspection of entire Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) and expressed displeasure over LUH medical superintendent’s performance.

During a visit to the largest tertiary care hospital in the province outside Karachi on Wednesday, the chief minister admonished Hyderabad District Health Officer Dr Lala Jaffar for not visiting the LUH often.

The chief minister was displeased to note shabby state of toilets and pharmacy section and warned MS Dr Shahid Junejo to develop a proper system and computerize it so as to facilitate patients.

“DG Health Sindh should inspect every unit of LUH,” he said. He asked chief engineer of buildings to ensure maintenance and repair of LUH was made out of the allocated Rs100m funds.

He noticed during a visit of GC University Kali Mori that floor was not properly built Bhai Dialdas Moolchand library in the university and asked “Is this how a wooden door is maintained?”.

When he was told GCU’s hospital was under occupation of some institution and out of 64 acres of its land it had shrunk to 22 acres, the chief minister asked the commissioner to get the hospital building vacated. He laid foundation stone for the construction of compound wall of the varsity’s 100 acres given by outgoing government.

The vice chancellor said that a bridge on Pinyari canal was needed to facilitate students and save their time. The chief minister promised to get the bridge built in addition to retaining wall along the canal.

The caretaker irrigation minister Eshwar Lal said the wall would also check overtopping of canal’s water in flood season.

The chief minister asked divisional commissioner to check disposal of untreated waste into Pinyari Canal as he was told that untreated waste of the city was discharged into the canal at a rate of about 200 cusecs daily, polluting the freshwater body. The unchecked pollution was causing diseases among residents of Tando Mohammad Khan and Sujawal districts, he said.

At Hatri police station, the chief minister asked SSP Amjad Shaikh to manage adequately case properties and called for repair of Hatri police station’s building which he believed could collapse anytime.

The SSP said that 85 tonnes of narcotics had been seized since he had taken charge as Hatri and Tando Yusuf area was considered a junction where criminals passed on goods for onward destinations.

He said that criminals and land grabbers were booked. “Even senior police officers are involved in land grabbing,” observed the CM.

The SSP said that Hyderabad police had an issue with National Highway Authority regarding land. Investigating officers were being imparted training to enable them to avoid flaws in FIRs and help improve rate of conviction.

The CM also paid a visit to Qadam Gah Moula Ali to pay his respects and then went to Qasimabad and Latifabad as well.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2023