KARACHI, Sept 12: The recently commissioned operation theatre complex at the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) is to be opened to the general public on Thursday, Prof Shafiqur Rehman, the coordinator of the project, said on Wednesday.

He told Dawn that the project had been launched by the old students of the Dow Medical College in 2003. The first case to be brought to the OT for surgery on Thursday would be a stomach-cancer patient at present admitted to the general surgery department of the hospital, he said.

Surgeries would be performed simultaneously at all the 14 theatres of the complex in six-weeks, he added.

Prof Rehman stated that in the first phase, stretched over a period of two weeks, at least three old operation theatres at the CHK would be abandoned.

“We have planned to house the old OT facilities attached with the general surgery, ENT, eye, paediatric, vascular, plastic, gynaecology and endoscopic surgery departments within the new complex during the period,” he said, adding that one, two or three theatres would be shifted after every two weeks from the CHK.

The DMC students belonging to the 1978 batch had formed a group to contribute to the launching of the OT Complex, which includes a 21-bed recovery area and the staff and doctor rooms.

The complex remained non-functional for a long period for want of adequate power supply. It was opened on June 28 this year by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad after its completion at a cost of Rs150 million, raised through donations from Dowites, philanthropists and several welfare organisations.

Prof Rehman said the complex now had an exclusive power supply from the KESC whereas arrangements for a back-up system had been made through hired generators. “We are also in the process of purchasing a generator for the complex to ensure a smooth and round-the clock power supply,” he said.

It is learnt that the place and structure of the theatres being shifted to the new complex would be utilised for the establishment of a clinical laboratory and medical ICU, besides extension of the existing wards and establishment of new wards.

The complex has a facility for telemedicine and live surgical performance available within the OT theatre enabling the trainees and medical students to watch surgeries live while sitting in a well-furnished audio-video conference centre in the complex.