KARACHI, April 14: The city government has failed to formulate any future health policy despite the fact that less than 20 per cent of Karachi’s population benefits from its health facilities whose annual budget is about Rs3.8 billion.

Even after implementation of the devolution system when all the primary and secondary health care facilities of the Sindh government have been transferred to the city government, no serious efforts have been made for the revival of declining public trust in them.

Nazim of UC-10 Liaquatabad Town Abid Ilyas said that despite presence of drugs and doctors at numerous basic health units, people are reluctant to go there and prefer private doctors.

He said that the working of 260 dispensaries and other health units in 18 towns can be improved only by developing a co-ordination with union council administrations.

Abid Ilyas said that most of the town health officers do not like interference in their affairs on the ground that the health department falls under the jurisdiction of the city government and nor towns or UC.

According to the city Nazim’s coordinator, Dr. Abdullah Mutaki, “we are planning to establish a blood bank for Karachi as presently none exists in the public sector, while basic work for the Karachi institute of heart diseases has already begun.”

He said that the hospitals and basic health units devolved from the Sindh government are still working under the health secretary, while those owned by the defunct KMC are working under their own system.

The District Nazim cannot appoint or designate any private coordinator, and many officers of the health department feel resented by the presence of coordinators, he said.

DDO Planning Dr. Suleman Otho said that the main focus of health services around the world, including Pakistan, has shifted towards the preventive side from curative and expressed the hope that city government can cater to the needs of up to 60 per cent of Karachi’s population.

He acknowledged that there exists a health policy in the city government, but expressed the hope that it would be implemented gradually when hospitals of the Sindh government and defunct KMC start functioning under one system and policy.

Regarding the policies formulated by the city government in its one-and-a-half year of functioning, Dr. Suleman said that though it was still not being implemented, they have been successful in imposing a formal ban on sale of drugs without prescription from a qualified doctor.

Keeping in view the shrinking resources, he stressed the need for a system where private facilities can be utilised by the city government instead of establishing new tertiary care units that cost huge amounts.

Dr Suleman said that registration of medical stores has been streamlined and work is continuing on issues like controlling quackery, establishment of a health management institute in Karachi, and imparting regular trainings to nurses and para-medics.

He highlighted that plans are under way to establish one emergency care unit in each town so that all emergency cases be handled at these hospitals instead of referring them to the Civil, Jinnah or Abbasi Shaheed hospitals.— PPI