KARACHI: An official of the rabies control programme of Sindh (RCPS) on Thursday informed the Sindh High Court that despite establishment of only four rabies vaccination centres (RVCs) and availability of meagre financial resources, efforts were being made to timely address the complaints about dog-bite cases across the city.

The project director filed a compliance report in the light of the last court order and submitted that a new draft release order (DRO) of funds had been sent to the finance department to release the amount in lieu of third and fourth quarters of the project.

The official sought necessary directions to the finance department for early release of funds in large public interest.

The official also asserted in the report that the dysfunctional helpline (1093), dedicated to lodge complaints about stray dogs/dog-bite incidents, had now completely been activated.

The equipment for routing and management of helpline was out of order and the same had been repaired and dedicated staff was deputed to attend complaints, it maintained.

At the last hearing, the SHC had directed the authorities concerned to release the funds meant for the RCPS after the project director complained about a paucity of funds to implement the project and issued directives to the project director to make the helpline operational within a week. At the outset of hearing on Thursday, project director Sumera Hussain filed a progress report.

The project director stated in the report that 1,672 and 1,549 cases of mass dog vaccination (MDVs) and animal birth control (ABCs) had been carried out from January to April respectively while 9,664 ABCs an 20,160 MDVs cases were executed between January 2022 to April 2024.

A mobile app has been developed and people can report stray dogs/bites cases along with location and pictures while different stakeholders including Indus Hospital and animal lovers’ originations have been engaged in order to work in collaboration and coordination for better results, it added.

The report further maintains that four RVCs have been functioning in the city and work on the fifth centre in Karachi will be completed by next month while sites have been identified for such centres in other parts of the province.

The two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed by its office after four weeks as the petitioner sought to go through the same and file reply.

A set of identical petitions were filed in 2019-20 about rise in dog-bites incidents in the province and shortage of anti-rabies vaccines at government-run hospitals and since then the SHC had passed several orders on the subject matter.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2024