MITHI, Nov 15: Sindh Governor Mohammedmian Soomro is reported to have taken serious notice of the shortage of medical officers in Thar when some members of Tharparkar district council apprised him in a meeting at Karoonjhar hall here on Wednesday that about fifty posts of doctors were lying vacant at various BHUs/hospitals of the district.

The elected representatives deplored that scores of doctors, who had been selected for admission to medical colleges from the quota of Thar, were serving at the hospitals of urban centres and were reluctant to serve in their native district.

When the governor inquired from the Executive District Officer (health) Tharparkar to clarify the factual position, the EDO informed him as a number of lady doctors/male doctors, transferred to Thar a couple of months ago, had not bothered to join here or had disappeared after joining, he had sent a report against forty-two of them.

Talking to Dawn here on Thursday, Rahmatullah Rahmoon, Allah Warayo Bajer and Mohanlal, Nazims of union council Jese-jo-Par, Diplo and Jhirmirio respectively, pointed out non- availability of doctors, particularly women medical officers, had been causing a lot of difficulties to Thari patients.

They said this issue was repeatedly brought to the notice of the governor, chief secretary, health minister and other high ups of Sindh when they visited Thar but it bore no result.

They added the authorities had promised that specialists and doctors, belonging to Thar, who had not served here, would be sent turn by turn to fill the vacant posts, but contrary to this, the secretary health had transferred some non-local doctors to Thar, who had not joined here or had run away after joining.

Consequently, they said, the patients coming to the BHUs/hospitals were suffering.

Requesting anonymity, a senior doctor pointed out two former director generals of the provincial health department, who were also residents of Thar, obliged hundreds of doctors hailing from Thar by not transferring them to their native area because of their high leverage, hence the issue of the shortage of doctors in this remote and backward desert region remained unresolved.

Meanwhile, Mr Dalpatrai, Nazim of union council Nagarparkar, tabled a motion in Tharparkar district council session here on Thursday, and pointed out as there existed no lady doctor at sixty-two BHUs/hospitals and dispensaries of the district, except Mithi and Islamkot, not only thousands of Thari women were facing enormous difficulties in getting medical treatment, but more shocking was the fact that the dead body of a murdered woman was taken to distant hospitals and post-mortem of the decomposed body was conducted.

Supporting the motion, the district council unanimously passed the resolution to move the high ups of the health department to provide male and female doctors to Nagarparkar, Diplo, Khainsar, Chhachhro and other hospitals.