The health department of Sindh has failed to fill the vacant post of Karachi police surgeon despite the passage of three months due to some legal hindrance and obtaining certificates in high-profile cases, PPI learnt on Saturday.
Reliable sources at medico-legal department told PPI that the post of police surgeon Karachi was lying vacant for the last three months and the provincial health department authorities had failed to finalise the name of official for this important post. They said the police surgeon post was lying vacant since 15th April 2016 after the retirement of Dr Aftab Qureshi.
They said the police surgeon was considered one of major post in medico-legal department but due to non-serious attitude of high-ups of health department the post was lying vacant. All administrative and official works in medico-legal departments of three major and six other hospitals have badly affected due to delay in appointment of police surgeon on vacant post.
The sources said this important post was being run on temporary basis since 2015 but high-ups of the health department miserably failed in finalizing the name of official in grade-20 for this important post.
Another official said the health government had decided to appoint Medical Superintendent of Shikarpur Hospital Dr Imtiaz Ahmed Jokhio of grade-19, on Karachi police surgeon post. Dr Jokhio has promoted from grade-18 to grade-19 in recent past and he has no experience of the medico-legal department.
The sources said there were three major hospitals of city having the facility of medico-legal officers (MLOs) like Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center( JPMC) and Civil Hospital (CHK), while medico-legal department in six other hospitals like Lyari General Hospital, Sindh Government Hospital New Karachi, Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad, Sindh Government Hospital Saudabad, Sindh Government Qatar Hospital Orangi Town and Sindh Government Hospital Korangi were partially non-functional due to shortage of MLOs. The secretary health, Ahmed Baksh Narejo, was not available for comments.