HYDERABAD, June 19: Adviser to Sindh chief minister Faisal Malik Gabol has said that teaching hospitals of Sindh will attain autonomous status in shape of management boards, headed by a retired official of armed forces or judge.

He said the boards would be free of government influence and totally independent to ensure smooth running of the hospitals.

He was talking to Dawn after speaking at a community mobilization function ahead of polio eradication campaign here on Saturday night.

Replying to a question whether the government hospitals are being given autonomous status, he said: “The teaching hospitals of Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana and Nawabshah will soon have their separate management boards in place as the proposal has been signed by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and endorsed by Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim”.

The adviser said the decision had been taken to ensure supply of medicines and to solve daily functioning of the hospitals.

He said finance advisers would be among members of the board which might comprise 10 to 11 people from health and philanthropists.

He said the chairman and finance advisers of the board would be paid ones.

“The management boards will take full responsibility for working of hospitals because there are problems that are reported to the health department more often”, he said.

He said this year 20 to 35 per cent more medicines would be provided to hospitals.

He said he had called a meeting of a committee of the department on June 21 to discuss procurement and provision of medicines to rural health facilities and major hospitals.

He said completion of tendering process was the main cause of delay in supply of medicines.

He said the health department had also decided to short-list specific pharmaceutical companies which would be supplying medicines in hospitals after participating in tendering.

He said companies having Rs600 million turn over and ISO certification would be eligible to participate in tenders.

“It would help check flow of spurious drugs in hospitals and curb practice of doctors to give prescription for purchase of drugs from outside”, he said.

The adviser said even the federal minister for health had been taken on board before deciding for pre-qualification of pharmaceutical companies and said after Sindh the method would be applied in other provinces.

He said the companies would only supply approved medicines and doctors would not be able to prescribe medicines for patients other than approved ones.

About basic health units and rural health centres, he said that concept of public-private partnership was being introduced to check attendance of doctors in these health facilities where people were found complaining against doctors.

He said a notable of the village or town would be able to check attendance of doctors.

He said around 700 new posts of doctors would be filled through the Sindh Public Service Commission.

He said this year special packing was used for medicines and expressed the hope that medicines’ supply would not be delayed as he had called for early calling of tenders and procurement of medicines to enable import and inspection depot to supply medicines on time.

He said the medicines of next fiscal year’s budget would be available in August or September at the most.