MIRPURKHAS Nov 29: Hundreds of kidney patients have been deprived of dialysis facilities at the local civil hospital because its haemodialysis unit has not been restored yet after developing some fault in the wake of monsoon rains.

The unit was established in 2004 and was being run under the aegis of Anjuman Falah-o-Behbood Insaniyat, an NGO.

The NGO installed eight dialysis machines while 17 employees of the civil hospital were posted to run them. The district administration annually provided Rs4.5 million for its major expenses.

Unit in-charge Dr Tariq Arain said that rainwater had accumulated in and around the unit for two months which damaged machinery and accessories.

He said that there was a need of 120 litre of water purified by a reverse osmosis system for dialysis of one patient, but due to accumulation of water, quality of underground water had changed. He said that water sample had been sent to Pakistan Scientific and Industrial Research Council for laboratory test and report was expected in a few days.

He said reverse osmosis water treatment system of the unit had also been damaged and needed to be replaced.

Dr Tariq said that last dialysis was carried out in the unit on Sept 9 after which it became non-functional.

He said that around 400 sessions of dialysis would be conducted every month in the unit. He said that 17 patients whose dialysis was being conducted before the closure of this unit had died because they could not afford to make regular trips to Hyderabad and Karachi.

He said Rs1 million were required for restoration of the unit and appealed to President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to provide immediate grant for restoration of the unit.

Growers protest

Hundreds of rain-hit growers of Hussain Bux Mari taluka held a demonstration outside the office of Mukhtiarkar here on Tuesday in protest against a little quantity of wheat seed being provided to them under a government scheme.

Growers had come to the office for completing their documentation for free wheat seed, but later held a demonstration and raised slogans against the Mukhtiarkar.

The growers said they spent money for preparing land and were waiting to get wheat seed and fertilizer free of cost as announced by the government but the Mukhtiarkar was issuing them only 10 kilogramme seed per acre that was insufficient because they needed 50 kg at least.

They demanded of the Sindh chief minister and chief secretary to ensure distribution of seed without any discrimination.

ARREST: Police have arrested two alleged gangsters accused of a recent incident of firing on police on the Khipro road.

Police arrested Abid Baloch alias Abu near Umerkot road. They raided a place near the village of Mir Sher Mohammad Talpur and arrested Aamir Pathan and seized one TT pistol from him.

In another raid, police nabbed Rashid Baloch from Mehmoodabad Railway Phatak and recovered one TT pistol.

SSP Mirpurkhas Riaz Ahmed Soomro said that two accused were members of the Naeem Baloch gang that had disturbed the law and order of the city and had also been involved in robberies.