KARACHI, July 17: The Sindh Government Children's Hospital, North Karachi, which has been doing without a Sanctioned New Expenditure document for the last 12 months, has finally got one. However, the SNE is only worth Rs5 million per year, including the payroll.

Since its inception, the project has been facing one financial problem after another. The hospital was built at a cost of Rs50 million but remained non-operational for about five years because of lack of funds. Then, following personal intervention by Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, it was opened on July 12 last year amid a lot of fanfare.

At the inaugural ceremony, the governor had promised a grant of Rs2.5 million for the hospital. This amount was never released and the administration of the hospital was asked to run the facility on an ad hoc basis, employing the services of the doctors attached to the School Health Programme.

When the acting medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Asif Zaman, was asked on Saturday if the amount allowed under the SNE was sufficient, he said: "I have no complaints". Answering another question, he said the original SNE of the project was worth Rs14 million.

Dr Zaman was of the opinion that the hospital had made a lot of progress in the one year since its opening. "In May, for example, we opened our evening outpatient department. Now, the sick children can be brought to our hospital in the afternoons and evenings as well."

On an average, said Dr Zaman, more than 300 children were brought to the hospital every day. He praised the governor for taking personal interest in the affairs of the hospital.

"The hospital is important not just because of the number of children who are treated here but also because the anti-polio campaigns are coordinated and monitored from here." On Saturday, too, a meeting of the members of various vaccination teams was held in the hospital, he said.

In response to a question, Dr Zaman said the laboratory of the hospital was fully functional now. "And because we were given a lot of medicine, we provide drugs to the patients, unlike some of the major hospitals of the city."

Dr Zaman agreed with the contention that the hospital was underutilized. "This facility should be converted into a full-fledged hospital having more than 50 beds for children. I am sure the authorities will look into this issue because without such a step the optimum utilization of the hospital is not possible."