KARACHI, June 11: The city government needs another 700 to 900 doctors — both general physicians and specialists — to make 61 new health facilities functional, besides running the existing hospitals and dispensaries efficiently.

The city government manages 271 hospitals and dispensaries and 13 of them are major facilities having a total of 1,843 beds. For them, 2,432 posts of doctors and 3,712 of paramedics have been budgeted. However, 15-20 per cent of the posts of doctors and paramedics are lying vacant since the retirement or death of the personnel. The prolonged ban on recruitment has kept these post still vacant.

As many as 61 health care units, including hospitals, maternity homes and dispensaries, constructed over a couple of years in different towns of Karachi, are lying non-functional mainly for want of staff and the required funds.

According to an estimate, there is one doctor for every 5,000 patients and one paramedic for every 3,000 patients living within the jurisdiction of the city district government. The reality of ‘ghost employees’ is another factor aggravating the situation.

Talking about inadequate furniture, a source said that doctors at 90 per cent of the city government health facilities could be seen sitting on the benches meant for patients.

It is further learnt that 45-50 of the old health units in different towns are either non-functional or under-utilised for various reasons, mainly non-availability of doctors and paramedics, technical staff, medicines, equipment and furniture.

Referring to the inoperative newly-constructed health care units, the source said no staff could have been appointed so far owing to the ban on recruitment, adding that due to the paucity of funds, medicines and other support facilities couldn’t also be made available there.

A big population in Shah Faisal, Malir, Orangi, Baldia, Gadap, Landhi, Nazimabad, Bin Qasim, Korangi, Jamshed, Site and Keamari towns is deprived of the vital health care facilities which would, otherwise, have been available very close to their respective areas of residence.

A source in the Sindh health department said that a request for the approval of the SNE for the 61 health care facilities was under consideration and allocations in this regard would hopefully be made in the coming budget.

It is believed that staff for the CDGK-run health facilities, as well as those run by the other district governments, would be appointed on a contract basis till the availability of the permanent staff recommended by the Sindh Public Service Commission, the source added.