HYDERABAD, Dec 8: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has promised to provide modern equipment, including angiography machines, to the Hyderabad Civil Hospital.

Addressing a gathering, mostly of doctors, after inaugurating a newly-renovated day-care surgical unit at the hospital here on Wednesday, he urged doctors to change their attitude and serve the ailing humanity.

The chief minister appreciated services of hospital medical superintendent Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi and said because of his spirit he had been given the additional charge of Sindh director general, services.

He said deserving patients should be treated in the surgical unit from Baitul Mal and Zakat funds. Dr Rahim said the government was making efforts to improve working of every department but it could not be done in one day.

He added that doctors and other officials should look into complaints by people so that they could improve their performance. He urged doctors not to forget the oath they had taken while receiving degrees.

He also called for improving the performance of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences. The chief minister said corruption in the country was largely due to misdeeds of the educated people, and not of the uneducated masses.

He was of the view that if donations were spent sincerely, philanthropists would come forward without hesitation because proper utilization of endowments was their first priority.

He promised to provide modern equipment to the Hyderabad Civil Hospital but called for maintenance of the hospital building. Dr Rahim said changes would be brought about in the health department.

The Sindh secretary for health, Prof Naushad A. Shaikh, also praised Dr Jatoi and other doctors and paramedical staff of the hospital for their efforts to provide better healthcare facilities at the hospital. He, however, deplored the condition of the hospital building which, he said, needed maintenance.

Dr Jatoi apprised the chief minister of the damaged drainage system of the hospital and lack of ambulances. He demanded that funds should be provided for medicines, equipment and ventilators.

He said his administration had got casualty wards of the civil hospital and the Jamshoro hospital renovated without seeking funds from the government and added that a 14-bed cardiac ward had been set up at the Jamshoro hospital. He said 250kv generators would be installed at the civil hospital.