Sindh Govt Consulting Legal Experts To File Review Petition

Sindh government is consulting legal experts to help file review petition with the Supreme Court of Pakistan in case three major tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, devolved to the province in 2010, are returned to the federal government

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jan, 2019 ) :Sindh government is consulting legal experts to help file review petition with the Supreme Court of Pakistan in case three major tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, devolved to the province in 2010, are returned to the Federal government.

Provincial Health Minister, Dr Azra Pechuho talking to media men, following the inauguration of family medicine clinic established by Dow University of Health (DUHS) at a cost of Rs15 million in a local urban slum, said under the 18th constitutional amendment, adopted by the parliament of the country in 2010, health is one of the subjects given to the provinces.

"Placing Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, National Institute of Child Health and National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases to the federal government will be violation of the country's constitution," she said.

Dr Azra Pechuho mentioned that it was only recently that the Sindh Assembly had adopted Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Bill 2019 under which 40 trauma centres will be established across the province.

Mentioning that SICVD would be headquartered in Sukkur, the health minister said 31 of these trauma centres will be functional during the current year and each would be on the pattern of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Trauma Centre in Karachi.

In reply to a question raised on the occasion she said there definitely must be some logic behind SCP's decision to place the three major tertiary hospitals under the federal government, however, Sindh government would approach the apex court with its reasons to review the verdict.

Sindh Health Minister claimed that performance of NICVD and NICH in terms of service quality as well as turnover of patients since 2010 devolution have been tremendous and exemplary.

It was claimed that provincial government was spending Rs 8 billion annually for efficient running of the three tertiary care hospitals in Karachi.

"To arrange this much of amount would perhaps be difficult for the federal government and we are worried about the fate of people availing of facilities here," said Dr Pechuho.

She said the provincial government is also fully focused towards provision of quality Primary healthcare facilities in the province.

This, the minister said was prerequisite to reduce the massive burden on secondary as well tertiary care facilities.

"With the very motive condition of provincial government run hospitals is being steadily improved," said the minister urging municipal corporation to also concentrate in providing quality and updated services at the facilities that fall under their jurisdiction.

Earlier inaugurating the DUHS' Family Medicine Clinic in Hijrat Colony, she appreciated that the university has setup 2nd of its kind of centre in least developed areas of the metropolis to help provide marginalized sections with needed medical support.

Vice Chancellor, DUHS, Prof Dr Muhammad Said Qureishi said the first check post of any primary healthcare system is family medicine where diseases are treated at the very initial phase and thus the severity is contained with nil compromise to the life quality of the patients and negligible or even no burden on their pockets.

Senior PPP leader and former President of PPP, Karachi division, Syed Najmi Alam was also present on the occasion along with Pro-Vice Chancellors of DUHS, Prof.Mohammad Masroor and Prof. Khawar Said Jamali, Prof. Syed Mukkaram Ali (DUHS Director for sports), Prof. Anam Arshad Baig (Head of Family Medicine Department), Nadeem Shakoor (Finance Director of DUHS) and other senior faculty members of the university.