LARKANA, Sept 2: Shortage of doctors and skilled hands had rendered the Intensive Care Unit of the Chandka Medical College Hospital non-functional, the DCO learnt during a visit to the hospital on Tuesday.

DCO Abdul Aziz Uqaili asked the medical superintendent of the hospital to hire required staff on contract to make functional the ICU, which was fully equipped with required machinery and equipment.

He discussed with hospital managers the problem of increasing requirement of anti-snake venom and anti-rabies vaccine and leant that over Rs8 million of public money was spent annually on the vaccines though the case could easily be prevented by taluka municipal administrations by launching drives against stray dogs.

The DCO directed the taluka municipal officers to chalk out a strategy and report within 15 days. He had also received complaints about non-functioning of incinerator and the quality of water being used for dialysis.

The MS informed him that the entire hospital waste required only two hours of incineration and thereafter it was shut down and briefed him about multiple levels of purification of the water used for dialysis.

The process included simple purification plant, reverse osmosis plant and ultra violate rays, which separated solid particles and eliminated bacteria in the water.

A professor of urology assured the DCO that the water used was fit for consumption and it posed no health hazards.

The DCO visited various wards, medicine stores, central laboratory, operation theatres and OPD of the hospital and advised the MS to ensure cleanliness of the premises.