KARACHI: The Sindh health department has directed the officials in charge of all government, district hospitals and disease control programmes to purchase medicines through a centralised system as opposed to the decentralised system practised earlier and the health department will be responsible for providing medicines to departments concerned only after all required details are submitted.

Sources told PPI that all government-run hospitals of Sindh, including the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, the National Institute for Child Health, the Civil Hospital Karachi, the Malaria and the Aids Control Programmes and others would be supplied medicines through this system.

They said that the decision was taken because hospitals used to choose their favourite medical stores to buy medicines.

A notification was issued in this regard on Dec 30.

They said that the department would get medicines at the same rate and distribute them among the hospitals concerned.

Replying to a question, Sindh health secretary Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi said that the hospitals would be given medicines as outlined in the programme, adding that drug standards would be maintained so that better health facilities were provided to patients.

He said that the decision was taken with the directions of Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed.

He said that the decision would benefit medical staff as well as patients.

However, some hospital administrations criticised the decision, saying that it would create difficulties for them and their patients because of the lengthy official procedure.—PPI