KARACHI: As many as 600 posts are lying vacant at Sindh’s largest teaching hospital, Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), which has badly affected patient-care in this major government-run healthcare facility, it was learnt on Tuesday.
Reliable sources at CHK told PPI that there were 3,000 sanctioned posts in this 1900-bed institution, out of which 600 are lying vacant. The vacant posts include posts of doctors, nurses, paramedical and administrative staff. The shortage of doctors and staff has badly affected the performance of this healthcare facility.
About 80 posts of doctors, 150 posts of staff nurses, 100 posts of paramedical staff, 05 posts of grade-15 officials, 100 posts of sweepers and others administrative seats have lying vacant in this largest teaching hospital of Sindh province for last few years.
The sources said hospital administration urgently needs nurses and doctors who can deal with patients with emergency requirement. The number of Intensive Care Units (ICUs) has been increased in the hospital with the passage of time and administration needs skilled staff nurses and paramedical staff to attend admitted patients.
They said the number of patients has increased from 6,000 to 7,000 in OPDs, while 800 to 1,000 patients are brought to the Accident & Emergency Department each day. Over 100 women visit Gynecology Units for delivers, and 500 children are attended in the Pediatric OPD each day. Score of diagnostic tests are being performed in this hospital free of cost on daily basis in its state-of-the-art laboratories.
They said the Sindh health department Sindh is not paying attention to the shortage of doctors, nurses and other staff in public sector hospitals like Civil Hospital where doctors and nurses are performing their duties under extreme pressure and extra burden of work that leads them towards various behavioral issues.
The unavailability of doctors, medicines and shortage of nurses in major hospitals of Karachi including Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center and Sindh Government Lyari General Hospital and other districts hospitals has also increased patients’ turnout in this hospital.
Medical Superintendent, CHK, Dr Sabir Memon, while talking to PPI, said there are 47 units in his health facility and number of patients is increasing day by day. He said there is urgent need of skilled nurses, doctors, paramedical staff and other support staff to run the hospital smoothly.
He said formal request has already been sent to authorities concerned of Sindh health department for allowing administration to recruit lower grade staff to fill vacant posts on urgent basis.
