HYDERABAD, Feb 13: The Civil Hospital of Hyderabad continued to face a shortage of doctors as 42 postgraduate students are expected to join the hospital for their studies.

Hospital sources told this correspondent on Friday that so far 15 postgraduate students had joined the CHH. According to the Sindh health department policy, an experienced doctor would have to leave the hospital to accommodate a postgraduate student.

The hospital caters to the needs of patients from all over Sindh apart from serious cases of bomb explosions, violence, and accidents. Under the previous policy doctors serving in other hospitals of Sindh were selected for postgraduation at the LUMHS.

They used to perform their duties apart from attending their regular classes thus proving a helping hand to the hospital to provide best possible health care facilities. But under the new policy introduced by the then secretary, Khalid Latif Chaudhry, the experienced doctors of the CHH are filling the vacancy of postgraduate students in different parts of Sindh, badly affecting the CHH's working.

Sources said the hospital administration at the first instance refused to accommodate postgraduate students but finally it had to agree when they received phone calls from either government functionaries or elected representatives. The postgraduate students did not perform duties as registrars as they are busy more in their classes than the hospital work.

SECURITY PLAN: Strict security arrangements are being planned by the police for Muharram.

The meeting was informed that close-circuit TVs are being installed in the sensitive areas. All the Ashura processions and Majlis-i-Aza will be provided security and officials of the bomb disposal squad would also be available in their areas. Policemen riding motorcycles would also patrol streets in the city where 80 police check posts had been set-up.