KARACHI, Jan 5: Health and education are two very important departments of the city government providing essential service to the general public but dispensaries and primary schools, the basic units of both the departments, are performing below the expectations, while town officers of these departments have virtually no contact with town administration, including Town Nazims.
Though one of basic idea of devolution is to bring services at closest level near public, dispensaries and basic health centres, including maternity homes, lack adequate facilities.
Unfortunately, the education department has yet to develop coordination with elected representatives.
Presently all medical facilities are under the health department of the City Government, these were distributed among five DMCs, KMC and Sindh government health department prior to devolution plan.
There are about 280 basic health units, including dispensaries, maternity homes, mother and child health care centres etc. under the health department of City Government which fall under Town Health Officer of the respective town.
If majority of these units are made functional, it will not only reduce load on major hospitals but health facilities can be provided to masses near their residence.
However, some towns have negligible health facilities. Gulberg Town has a total of only three medical facilities while one of them is a staff clinic for city government employees.
The other ones include one primary health care centre and a dispensary but there are only two doctors for the whole town to take care of the work-load of three medical units.
One doctor is responsible for Goharabad health centre and if he is on leave, the pharmacist simply repeats the prescription for one day. The heavy rush of patients demands that there must be at least one Woman Medical Officer (WMO) apart from a male doctor there.
Whereas, a dispensary in block 16, F.B.Area is without an in charge and the adjacent health care centre is being looked after by a lady health visitor, while the three vaccinators belonging to EPI are looking after vaccination programme.
Earlier in early 90s, Karachi Medical and Dental Collage (KMDC) was established in the building of maternity home and dispensary situated in F.B. Area, however even after allocation of land and construction of its own building, the KMDC is yet to vacate the building.
Similarly, Liaquatabad Town has one of largest number of health facilities, including two hospitals of City Government, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Sindh government hospital Liaquatabad but local population can be more benefited if quality of service of about 13 medical units falling under town health officer are improved.
None of the two maternity homes in Liaquatabad Town have consultant, therefore, poor women having any complications are referred to Abbasi Shaheed hospital or they have to go to private sector.
Ironically the situation in outlying areas is even worse as there is only one RMO and an MS in Lyari basic health unit while there is no WMO to take care of female patients.
Though Lyari basic health centre has a laboratory and an X-ray plant, their performance is yet to be improved by upgrading these facilities.
Without basic facilities and provision of medicines, the confidence of the masses cannot be restored and the poor public will be forced to spend their savings at private facilities.
Therefore, efforts are needed to strengthen grass-root level medical facilities and develop more working relations between Town Nazims and officers of the health department posted in towns for the benefit of masses and provide the actual purpose of devolution system.—PPI