About 56 posts of doctors, general and specialists cadre are lying vacant in Lyari General Hospital (LGH) Karachi and the administration of the institution has been facing hardships in smoothly running of the hospital catering healthcare services to people round the clock, sources at LGH told PPI Tuesday.
Sources said that 500-bed Sindh Government Lyari General Hospital Karachi was considered as one of the major teaching healthcare centers of the city where around 2,500 to 3,000 people visit its various OPDs for consultation and treatment purpose daily. They said the hospital administration had been facing acute shortage of doctors, especially in its gynaecology and obstetrician, anesthesia, accidental emergency and nephrology departments.
They informed that the provincial government had ordered posting of 45 doctors in the hospital about a year ago but only nine of them joined the hospital, while other 36 doctors refused to join the hospital mainly due to law and order situation in Lyari. They said majority of these doctors got them transferred before joining the hospital by using political influence and bribe. They said all efforts to bring improvement in healthcare delivery system in the hospital went wasted.
They said there are 14 departments in hospital where about 120 doctor, general & specialists cadre are performing their duties in three shifts. The attendance of patients has been increasing day by day in the hospital but the shortage of staff has badly affected its performance.
The sources said due to shortage of gynecologists and trauma surgeons, the patients are being referred to nearby private hospitals and Civil Hospital Karachi for treatment.
The patients demand of the provincial health department to fill the vacant posts of general and specialists cadre doctors in the hospital. They said with the induction of more doctors, the treatment facilities at the hospital will be improved.
Additional Medical Superintendent, Lyari General Hospital, Dr Khadim Hussain Qureshi, when contacted, said the issue of non-joining of doctors and shortage of staff is in the notice of health department . He hoped that the shortage of doctors to be filled soon.
He said the hospital was providing services round the clock and it urgently needed gynaecology and obstetrician, anesthesia, accidental emergency and nephrology doctors to improve medical facilities in the institution.