KARACHI, July 12: The doors of the Sindh Government Children’s Hospital, North Karachi — built at a cost of Rs50 million about five years ago — were opened for the ailing youngsters of the city on Saturday afternoon. The inaugural ceremony was presided over by the governor of Sindh.
During the ceremony the governor was expected to announce the approval of the hospital’s Sanctioned New Expenditure (SNE), under which the services of the permanent staff could be acquired.
However, Dr Ishratul Ibad kept mum over this issue. Instead, he announced a grant of Rs2.5 million which, he admitted, was insufficient.
In his speech, Governor Ishratul Ibad said a lot of work needed to be done before the hospital could operate at an optimum level. He said not only would the basic problems be resolved but expansion work would also be undertaken once this objective was achieved.
The nation could not make progress unless the Pakistani workers and officials took pride in their work and had a passion for excellence, the governor said.
“Working sincerely towards the fulfilment of one’s moral responsibilities is the best way to satisfy oneself,” the governor said.
The governor said the health department must ensure that the hospital was well stocked, at all times, with adequate manpower, equipment and medicines.
Speaking on the occasion, Shoaib Bukhari, the provincial minister for planning and development, stated that the CM’s adviser on health had promised to make the hospital a model health care centre.
The minister added that the value of the SNE, under which doctors and paramedical staff were to be appointed for the hospital on a permanent basis, could be enhanced, provided the CM’s adviser moved the requisite documents.
Noman Saigal, the CM’s adviser on health, said the governor was very concerned about the revival of the hospital, which remained unutilized for more than five years. “It is because of the governor’s concern for this hospital that it is being opened today.”
In his speech, Ashiq H Memon, the health secretary, urged the governor to allocate a substantial sum from his discretionary account so that the hospital could avoid an inauspicious beginning.
He also requested the governor to increase the value of the hospital’s SNE which had been slashed down from Rs14 million to a Rs2.5 million.
In his vote of thanks Dr Asif Zaman, the hospital’s medical superintendent, pointed out that initially the hospital was proposed to have 200 beds. Later on, however, the scheme was revised and only an outpatient department was built.
Meanwhile, after the inaugural ceremony, Dr Zaman told a group of reporters that he said he had requested the health department to approve the hospital’s SNE as soon as possible. The Rs2.5 million that had been allowed by the governor on Saturday would help the hospital overcome just some of the teething problems to be faced by it.