DADU, July 30: Summary for new establishment for 23 health centres in the district has not been approved by the Sindh government over the past eight years, according to a survey conducted by this correspondent.

Buildings for the health centres were constructed and handed over to health department in 1996 but their SNEs were not approved. As a result, they have been denied annual budget, buildings of most of them are lying vacant and the functioning ones have been facing shortage of staff and medicines.

They include 11 Basic Health Units, 10 dispensaries, one mother and child health centre and one Rural Health Centre. The BHUs are located in Amri, Khuda-ki-Basti, Mitho Babar, Chounkhandi, Balishah, Nao Goth, Pipri, Jhallo, Purano Dero and Khera; dispensaries in Nawab-jo-Pat, Gul Mohammad Jatoi, Kakar, Bajara, Bothro, Dhamach, Murad Jamali, Pario Jamali, Sujawal Khan Alkhani, Pir Gaji Shah and Chakar Khan Shahani villages; a mother and child health centre in Nao Goth and a RHC in Drigh Bala.

EDO, health, Dr Moula Bux Jamali, said that the provincial government had been repeatedly requested to allocate budget for the health units but to no avail. Nazim, Pipri union council, Ghulam Mujtaba, said that the BHU in his area was functioning without budget, hence residents of the area were facing problems like non-availability of medicines.

Nazim, Siyal UC, Mohammad Khan, demanded approval of the SNE for the BHU in Jhallo and said that owing to non-allocation of the funds, proper staff and medicine had not been provided to the health unit.

Nazim, Chhinni UC, Ghulam Ali Shahani, said that due to non- release of the funds for medicines and staff for Chakar Khan Shahani dispensary, it was lying vacant. District Nazim Malik Asad Sikandar said that during current financial year, budget was allocated for seven of the health units by the district government.