KARACHI, Aug 18: An emergency operation theatre was inaugurated at the Sindh Government Qatar Hospital on Wednesday.

The theatre, which would enable the hospital to undertake surgical operations round the clock, was opened by the adviser on health to Sindh's chief minister.

On the occasion Faisal Malik, the health adviser, announced that the health department would be providing equipment for the hospital's blood bank within a week. Mr Malik also declared that the healthcare centre would soon be given the status of a nursing institute.

The adviser observed that the emergency operation theatre represented the 37th project that had been undertaken at the hospital under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative. In his opinion, the hospital was one of the better public-sector hospitals in the province.

He said Sindh's first health policy was being formulated which would be ready within a month. He claimed that with the implementation of the policy considerable improvement would be brought about in the efficiencies of the government healthcare centres.

In his speech the health secretary, Ashique H. Memon, said the medical superintendents of all the public hospitals and clinics in the province would be provided training at the Qatar Hospital.

Additional Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Jamaluddin Sheikh, said an intensive care unit, which represented the 38th PPP project, was almost ready for opening. "Similarly, a gynaecological unit, which is being built with the help of the Edhi Foundation, is almost ready too," he said.

The two units, he said, would be inaugurated within 30 days. He pointed out that between 3,000 and 3,500 patients visited his hospital's outpatient department every day. "This number is comparable to that of Civil Hospital Karachi.

"Yet, our annual budget, which once stood at Rs9 million, now stands at just Rs6 million. And even this amount is not paid to us promptly." He requested the adviser and health secretary to sort out the matter as soon as possible.

The adviser and health secretary were also shown around the hospital. They were told by the hospital administration that 100 beds were being added to the 300-odd beds already present at the healthcare centre.

More than 30 per cent of the project had already been executed. However, there was a need to expedite the project so that the expansion work could be completed soon. Later, the adviser and health secretary took part in a simple ceremony at which the outgoing medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Nasrullah Malik, was presented a gold medal and shield as a mark of appreciation for his services.