KARACHI, Nov 7: A cold storage facility with the capacity to keep 48 bodies would start functioning in New Karachi Town in the first quarter of 2008. The facility is being built through the financing of the provincial assembly members’ priority fund in Sector 5-D, New Karachi. The building’s construction and establishment expenditures would figure around Rs4.5 million.

A briefing on the project was given to Provincial Health Minister Syed Sardar Ahmed during his visit to the site on Wednesday. The minister asked the contractor to ensure an expeditious completion of the project.

Talking about the under-construction mortuary, the Executive District Officer (Health) Dr A.D. Sajnani told Dawn that the project was being constructed on the initiative and with the financial support of the provincial health minister, who represented the New Karachi constituency in the assembly as well.

“In principle, with the approval of the health minister, it has been decided that the city government will, in the long run, adopt and run the under-construction cold storage facility,” said Dr Sajnani.

He observed that since the CDGK was already in the process of establishing five morgues across the city, it would be appropriate to further strengthen the cold storage facility being established under the MPA’s fund, instead of establishing a separate facility in the same vicinity.

The city government will now provide some of the equipment pertaining to cooling cabinets it had already ordered for its five morgues, which have been planned at different government hospitals in the city, including the New Karachi Hospital, Dr Sajnani added, saying that he had also urged the health minister to order the setting up of a post-mortem facility at the premises of the cold storage in question.

Earlier, the health minister visited the 52-bed Sindh Government Hospital in Sector 5-D New Karachi. New Karachi Town Nazim Mohammad Zulfikar apprised the minister about impediments in making the hospital functional.

At present only the outpatients’ department is being maintained there. The minister was told that arrangements for water, electricity and seating for visiting patients had not yet been provided and as such, a number of visitors seeking treatment at the hospital had to go back disappointed due to the lack of facilities.

The minister asked the quarters concerned to look into the matter and ensure practical measures towards the solution of the problems at the earliest.

At a meeting with health officials at the town office, the health minister was informed by the medical superintendent of the Government Hospital New Karachi that there was a need for an elevator for carrying emergency cases to the mother and child ward, which was located on the second floor.

The minister directed the officials to submit a detailed proposal on the subject for the sanction of funds.