KARACHI, July 18: The city government has failed to establish chest centres in 10 towns despite allocation of Rs10 million for the said purpose in the last years’ budget.

Sources in the health department said that the former city government had allocated Rs10 million for the establishment of respective chest pain centres but the project could not be initiated even during the last year because of the reasons best known to the city government.

The former city administration had set up two chest pain centres in Malir and Korangi but these centres could not be made operational due to unavailability of staff and equipment, sources maintained.

They said that the former city government had planned to establish chest pain centres in every town, which had to be linked with the Karachi Institute of Heart Disease so that emergency cardiac treatment to patients could be provided at the early stage before being admitted to the KIHD.

The chest pain centres were planned in Orangi Town, Site Town, North Karachi Town, Liaquatabad Town, Jamshed Town, Malir Town, Shah Faisal Town, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town, Landhi Town and Gadap Town.

The former city administration had constructed buildings in Malir and Korangi at an estimated cost of Rs6 million but later this project fell victim to the customary red-tapism, the sources said.

However, an official of the health department said that the funds allocated for the establishment of chest pain centres were not lapsed and had been carried over to the current fiscal year. He said that the health department would soon initiate work on the project. —Online