LARKANA, July 14 A committee constituted on the directive of President Asif Zardari to assess the immediate needs of Peoples Medical College Nawabshah, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana and its affiliated hospitals and finalise the proposals to bring them at par with the international reputable institutions, arrived here on Tuesday. Professor Naushad Shaikh, Vice Chancellor of Liaquat University of Medical Sciences Jamshoro, heads the committee while Professor Sikandar Shaikh, vice chancellor of SBBMU Larkana, Professor Azam Yuosfani, pro-vice chancellor of (LUMS) and Dr Khalid Shaikh, deputy secretary health, are its members. The committee, after visiting Nawabshah Medical Colleges and its affiliated hospitals on Monday, held marathon sessions with the managers of SBBMU Larkana CMCH on Tuesday.

Talking to 'Dawn', Professor Naushad, said that the committee had minutely studied and assessed the requirements of medical institutions on multiple angles in Larkana and Nawabshah. He said that the committee would submit its findings and recommendations both for short term and long term plans till July 15 to the provincial health department for onward transmission to the President of Pakistan. He said under short-term plan Rs one billion would be released for each institution to undertake urgent upgradation and uplift. All the proposals, under the tag of short -term, would be materialised within one year's time. Under long-term projects, the federal government would allocate Rs 9billion each for both districts' health institutions and colleges. He disclosed that a 1200-bed hospital with modern medical facilities would be established in Larkana and Nawabshah with particular uplift of the newly-established Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana.

He admitted that medical institutions in Larkana and Nawabshah were facing severe understaffing.

We are in dire need of skilled, trained and well -qualified professors to overcome the teaching faculty's issue, he said adding that highly qualified doctors were available in the market and they would be approached to join SBBMU Larkana and upcoming Medical University in Nawabshah. He said that shortage and non-availability of essential equipments was another problem that both medical institutions and the hospitals affiliated with them were facing. He said that it was decided to prepare the plans to avoid duplication and pointed towards his productive meeting with the Vice Chancellor of SBBMU Larkana Professor Sikandar Shaikh. He said that team has stressed on early establishment of Bone marrow transplantation, renal transplantation, advanced blood diseases, open heart surgery, neuro-surgery, skin diseases departments in Larkana and Nawabshah. He said that this would be pilot project which would be expanded to other parts of the country with sole aim of providing updated medical facilities to the ailing humanity. Responding to a question, he said SBBMU Larkana would begin recruitment to meet its immediate requirements.