KARACHI, Feb 14: The Lyari General Hospital’s telephone exchange is not functioning properly since two months.

The OPD patients complained that they had difficulty in connecting to the hospital’s phone lines. The hospital administration when contacted admitted that the telephone exchange was out of order.

Medical Superintendent Dr Mukhtiar Ahmed Khawaja said the telephone exchange was obsolete and needed to be replaced as its parts were no longer available. He said the matter was discussed at a recent Civil Hospital and Lyari General Hospital Board of Governors meeting and it was decided that the issue would be taken up with the authorities.

The MS said the board also discussed other problems faced by the hospital. They include water shortage, a defective drainage system and seepage in the hospital building.

He said there was a shortage of professors in the teaching hospital, and it urgently needed three more professors on it roster. Presently, only seven professors were attending duties as a senior professor had been transferred to Ojha Sanitorium while another senior professor’s services had been detailed to the Civil Hospital.

He said efforts should be made to improve the hospital’s infrastructure. However, he was satisfied with the pace of development at cardiac centre.

Lyari General Hospital was the first premier medical institution in public sector built in 1983 to cater to the needs of not only the poor people of the area and its suburbs, but also the inhabitants of Balochistan coastal belt.

Despite having a teaching institute status and its affiliation with the Civil Hospital Karachi, the hospital had been denied facilities.

Facing water shortage for many years, the hospital meets its requirement through tankers. Besides, the defective sewerage system caused seepages in the building.

Patients’ Welfare Society President Sher Mohammad Raees said the authorities should look into the hospital’s affairs and provide it with the required facilities.