KARACHI: Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab has said that monitoring committees have been formed to check the performance of the health facilities being run by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

He said this during a surprise visit to the Spencer Eye Hospital on Monday.

The mayor said that the monitoring committees comprising elected representatives would submit their reports and suggestions.

In the light of their reports, the process of providing medical facilities in the KMC-run hospitals would be improved and more facilities would be provided to the people, he said.

The mayor said that it was his priority to bring improvement in the KMC-run health facilities and he would take all necessary steps in this regard.

He said that the Spencer Eye Hospital was an asset of Karachi and the KMC would not let anyone to destroy it.

He said that the KMC would ensure presence of all doctors and paramedical staff in the hospital and no negligence would be tolerated.

During the visit, Barrister Wahab inspected various wards, operation theatres, refraction chambers and doctor’s rooms in the hospital and checked the attendance register of the staff.

He inquired about the medical procedures used in the hospital and directed the staff to adopt modern techniques for eye treatment in the hospital and update all the equipment and machinery to new requirements. The mayor said that in the past the Spencer Eye Hospital was famous all over the world for eye treatment and patients from far and wide used to come here for treatment. Cornea transplantation was done regularly here to restore eyesight to a large number of people, he said.

He said that this hospital was the only hospital in Karachi and Pakistan where the best and most experienced eye surgeons provided services and the most complex operations were successfully performed.

If attention had been paid to it in the past, this hospital would have been providing the best eye treatment facilities even today, he added.

He also met the patients in the hospital and asked them about their problems.

He said that the Spencer Eye Hospital was established on an area of more than one acre and it was important to utilise available premises because a large number of people, who cannot afford the expensive treatment of eye diseases in private hospitals, came here and this facility was a ray of hope for them.

He said that the cleanliness and security arrangements in the hospital would also be improved and better facilities would be provided.

He directed the hospital administration that they should fulfil their duty and provide best possible facilities to the patients.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2024