KARACHI, April 22: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan said on Monday despite grant of permission by the Sindh government to levy taxes in health and education sectors, he will not use the authority.

“We have not been providing either proper education or required health facilities to the citizens and it will be injustice if we recourse to any such harsh measure,” he said, while speaking at the reopening ceremony of the neuro-surgery ward at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital on Monday. The unit had remained inoperative for the last five years.

Former Karachi Mayor Abdul Sattar Afghani and ex-MNA Muzaffar Hashmi were also present.

Naimatullah Khan said the city government had forwarded a request to the provincial government to ensure provision of prerequisite facilities and financial assistance to all the six major city hospitals, including the Abbasi Shaheed, enabling them to run their affairs effectively and to the benefit of a large number of people.

“The Abbasi Shaheed Hospital being one of the largest healthcare centres, is catering to a large number of under-privileged section of the population and in view of its significance, in addition to the government, philanthropists should also come forward to mitigate health miseries of the poor,” he stressed.

Offering his services for this purpose, the Nazim said he would not be reluctant accompanying doctors and paramedical staff of the hospital for collecting donations to transform the hospital into an exemplary healthcare centre.

“This hospital poses a challenge for me as I have made a lot of efforts for retaining it in the city government and now it has to be made such an exemplary institution where quality medical facilities will be available.”

The Nazim recalled the special attention paid on this hospital during the mayorship of Abdul Sattar Afghani and said it had been a model institutions which suffered a lot because of neglect.

He declared that from next year, in all the city government hospitals, doctors undergoing post-graduate training would be paid honoraria equal to that of a grade-17 officer.

Referring to abolition of octroi by the previous government, he said it was a major source of direct income for the city government, however, in lieu of that the city government was receiving grants in instalments from the federal government.

“Ironically due to its irregularity, the new system of governance is stalked by impediments as majority of the amount is spent on monthly remuneration of a large number of employees associated with the city government. The government is exploring various other options to increase its revenue,” he asserted.

DCO Karachi Shafiqur Rahman Paracha, referring to the problems raised by the medical superintendent of the hospital, said Nazim Karachi had set up a committee which would propose to the government to redress them in accordance with the requirements.

He asked the doctors to change their attitude with patients as this would result in the establishment of cordial relations between them.

He said a package had been prepared for the hospital’s water supply and sewerage schemes and forwarded to the provincial government. He said it would be approved soon.

Medical superintendent of the Hospital, Dr Azfar Moid, said the hospital was facing serious working problems, which affect its performance and in this regard he cited example of sewerage and water-related problems.—PPI/APP