KARACHI, Aug 23: At least 60 per cent of the Rs250 million annual budgetary allocation of the Civil Hospital Karachi goes towards payment of salaries of doctors and staff.

Official sources told Dawn that the reason why many a times the hospital failed to provide satisfactory services to patients was that it did not have adequate funds. “The Civil Hospital Karachi has 1,500 doctors and 3,000 paramedical staff. While this strength is not enough to deal with the number of patients who visit the hospital every day, even from the interior of Sindh, it gobbles up 60 per cent of the annual budgetary allocation,” they said.

They explained that with 1,768 beds the infrastructure of the hospital was very large. “It has 36 special units. The turnover of patients at the outpatient department is 3,000 patients and at emergency is 800 patients. As many as 100 surgeries are performed on a daily basis.”

They added that the kitchen facilities of the Civil Hospital Karachi had also been privatized.

The official sources told Dawn that the administration of the Civil Hospital Karachi had signed an agreement with a private concern which prepared food for as many as 1,500 patients every day.

“Under the agreement, the administration of the Civil Hospital Karachi pays Rs440,000 every month and the private concern spends Rs1,000,000 on a monthly basis.”

The agreement, the sources added, would remain valid for five years. Besides, the private concern had decided the menu in consultation with the administration of the Civil Hospital Karachi.

When contacted, the medical superintendent of the Civil Hospital Karachi, Dr Noshad A. Shaikh, admitted that the kitchen of the hospital was being run by a private concern. He said: “The project was undertaken by the administration of the Civil Hospital Karachi as part of private-public partnership. There are many philanthropists in the city who want to take part in activities aimed at ameliorating the lot of the poor. All they need is an assurance that their money would not be squandered.”

He said that previously the administration of the hospital used to make do with Rs450,000 every month. At present, he added, with Rs1.4 million every month the hospital had been able to do much more for patients.

The official sources said that recently an emergency operation theatre had been completed which had also been constructed with the money from philanthropists. “The philanthropists had provided Rs8 million with the administration of Civil Hospital Karachi purchased equipment for two operation theatres.”

They added that under another such project — a paediatrics intensive care unit — was in pipeline. “The government is providing Rs8 million and some philanthropists has also provided Rs8 million. The project will be completed shortly.”

The official sources said that another project — an orthopaedic operation theatre — would be completed soon. “The government has provided Rs16 million for the project with which the equipment has been purchased.”

The Civil Hospital Karachi medical superintendent, Dr Noshad A. Shaikh, said that a computerized information and registration centre had been established at the gate number two. “Previously, people coming to visit patients, especially those coming from the interior of Sindh, would wander from one ward to another looking for their patients. Now all patients are registered at the computer department where admission and discharge data is also maintained. Computer attendant can guide the visitors easily. This facility was available in private hospitals only.”