LARKANA: The new expenditure schedule of Larkana Chandka Medical College Hospital’s (CMCH’s) three vital projects are awaiting approval since last 16 months by the Sindh Health and Finance Departments to facilitate the poor patients.
According to details, the required documents of BBC-IV proposal of the new expenditure 2016-17 for each scheme along with PC-IV, handing/taking over report and PC-I of these completed schemes, have already been sent to the Health Department in May 2015. The CMCH medical superintendent sent those documents but so far no action has been taken which shows the lack of interest by the authorities in the health department.
The schemes include Establishment of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Skin Diseases Complex, Construction of Dental and Hepatology Department, up-gradation of Surgery Department, Surgery Equipment for OT Modernisation of Laboratory Blood Bank. Also included in the scheme are the establishment of Oncology Treatment Ward and construction of Neuroscience Complex where neurosurgery and neuro medicine departments have been established.
Despite the acute shortage of medics, paramedics, medicines and other necessities, these departments have been made functional by the CMCH administration but the concerned head of departments (HODs) are facing serious hardships in properly running and managing their respective wards.
Meanwhile, several posts of male/female medical officers, registrars, trainee registrars, blood transfusion officers and medico-legal officers are also vacant in CMCH. Astonishing was the fact that there were no male/female medico-legal officers in this major hospital and all male, and lady doctors, have to perform 15-day rotation duty in this vital section.
Likewise, due to acute shortage of medics, all male doctors of BS-17 and 18 also have to perform a 15-day rotation duty at Casualty (Emergency Department) in evening and night shifts, which has become mandatory for all of them.
According to reports, out of 223 sanctioned posts of BS-17, as many as 92 are vacant in CMCH which includes two posts of ICU supervisor, 14 posts of male/female medical officers out of 96 sanctioned posts, 13 posts out of 55 of registrars, 44 out of 48 trainee registrars and two out of three trainee posts of registrars are lying vacant since years. But worst of all is the fact that all 17 posts of medico-legal officers are vacant and nobody has been posted as yet to deal with the essential cases.
The CMCH is dealing with medico-legal cases of the entire Larkana division.