The Sindh High Court directed Wednesday health department’s focal person to inform it whether the authorities can make it mandatory for doctors to serve for certain period in a hospital where they have received special training to address the issue of doctors’ shortage.
A division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, gave this direction while hearing a petition filed by Muhammad Nazeer Abbasi who moved the court seeking its directions for the provincial government to make the vascular and isolation wards at Civil Hospital Karachi fully functional.
The petitioner submitted that the vascular and isolation wards at CHK were running under supervision of Dow University of Health and Science (DUHS) but for two years, they were closed due to doctors’ shortage.
He said the head of vascular surgery ward Prof Dr Sohail Ahmed Khan went on long leave about two years ago but CHK administration did not arrange any other specialist doctor for the ward which led to the closure of the ward.
He said due to the closure of both wards, hundreds of patients were suffering hardships and forced to go to private hospitals for treatment. The petitioner pleaded the court to issue directives for authorities to reopen the vascular and isolated wards.
In response to court notice, health department’s focal person, Dr Saeed Qureshi submitted a report, stating that the wards were closed due to staff shortages. Dr Saeed said the authorities had appointed a number of surgeons at the wards but they left job after receiving training. Justice Sajjad asked him if the government could enter into an agreement with doctors to serve an institution for particular period after receiving special training. However, Dr Saeed said he needed some time to seek instruction from the authorities concerned in this regard. At his request, the bench gave him two weeks time to submit the response.
