HYDERABAD, July 15: The medical superintendent of the Liaquat Medical University Hospital, Hadi Bux Jatoi, has called for funds for the hospital and its laboratory where some 45,000 tests are conducted every month.

Speaking at a news conference in his office here on Thursday, he urged the hospital authorities to concentrate only at its diagnostic and research centre for research and leave the tests to hospital.

Mr Jatoi said that 215,561 lab investigations were conducted in April, May and June this year, while during the same period last year only 138,860 lab investigations were conducted.

He claimed that 86 pathology tests were conducted in the pathological laboratory of the hospital. He said that charges of these tests were 75 per cent less than private and university laboratories.

He said that in addition to routine X-rays, the hospital also has mammography machine, doppler, CT scan and ultrasound. Mr Jatoi recalled that lithotriptor machine was installed in 1999 which was functioning well.

He said that for lack of publicity, the patients were not deriving maximum benefits out of this facility. He said that the private ward of the hospital which was constructed in 1906 was in a dilapidated condition and therefore it was not generating any revenue.

He said that the ward was renovated and each room had been air-conditioned. He said that it would also have two separate operation theatres. Answering a question about expenses, he said that charges would be nominal when compared to private hospitals.

He announced two packages for private ward patients and said that if other hospitals charged a fee of Rs10,000 for an operation, the LUMH would charge only Rs4,000, including medicines and other facilities.