NAWABSHAH, Sept 7: District Nazim Faryal Talpur has urged the Sindh chief minister to transfer powers of purchase and distribution of medicines for government hospitals to district governments.

She was speaking at a gathering at the People's Medical College Hospital after inaugurating new building of intensive care unit here on Tuesday. She alleged that hindrances had been created in the release of funds for the medicines to the Nawabshah district government since the provincial health adviser was not serious in timely distribution of the medicines.

She said that medicines, which were supposed to be delivered to the PMCH in July, had still not reached there and added that if the situation continued, it would be difficult for the management to smoothly run the hospital.

Ms Talpur pointed out that the PMCH was not under the control of the district government but said that she had always extended help to it. Speaking on the occasion, Medical Superintendent of the PMCH Dr Nisar Shaikh said that hospital was facing a shortage of medicines because their supply had been delayed.

Saying that it was nearly impossible to run the hospital in the available budget, he appealed the Sindh government to increase the budget and urged philanthropists and NGOs to come forward and help them.

Dr Nisar said that minimum expenses incurred on a patient in the ICU on daily basis were between Rs5000 and Rs10000 and a ventilator was not available in the ward. He appealed the nazim to provide a ventilator to the hospital on which she assured him that she would make arrangement for it. In-charge of the ICU Dr Ghulam Nabi Memon said that it also lacked other equipments.