SHC Orders To Increase Bedding Capacity Of LUH, To Launch Ambulance Service

HYDERABAD, Nov. 10, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Nov, 2016 ) : The Sindh High Court here� Thursday� ordered the Sindh Health department to increase capacity of the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) in Hyderabad and Jamshoro to 2,000 beds each and to launch an emergency ambulance service.

According to the details, the order also directed the Director General Sindh Health department to remove encroachments from premises of the LUH Hyderabad and vacate the private medical stores operating inside the LUH.

The divisional bench's order issued in a petition filed by Aamir Lutf Ali versus the province of Sindh and others. "The ambulance service does not exist on wide scale to rescue [people] in emergency as well as the patients," the order observed.

"Province of Sindh shall ensure that such service is provided in all districts and such rescue centers shall be established in every district with rescue and toll free number. In the first phase such ambulance service should be launched in Hyderabad within 3 months," the order reads.

Referring to Medical Superintendent LUH, Dr. Wajid Memon who informed the court about the beds to patients proportion point out a shortage, the SHC ordered the health authorities to increase the number of beds to 4,000 from the existing 1,400 beds.

"2,000 beds in City [Hyderabad] and 2,000 beds in Jamshoro shall be made available in 1 year," the bench ordered. Quoting the Superintending Engineer, Building Department, Akhtar Hussain Dawach the order noted that the space for construction of the new buildings was available inside premises of the 2 hospitals.

The court further directed the authorities to complete construction along with provision of facilities in the new buildings� within 1 year. The bench also noted the statement of Sindh Secretary Health Dr Usman Chachar, who was present in the courtroom, that 4 regional blood centers would be established within 2 months.

The court asked Sindh Chief Secretary to appoint the additional or special secretaries for important sectors of the health department specially for Thalassemia, malaria and hepatitis. Furthermore, the SHC ordered the Director General Health Dr Hassan Masood to ensure that all private pharmacies operating inside premises of the government hospitals were closed within a month.

"In case if there is such permission, it should be cancelled within 15 days and eviction process should be completed� within one month," the order reads. "Since medical stores cannot be permitted in government hospitals, thus, any agreement or any lease, is void in thereof under the eyes of law," it added.

The bench also ordered removal of encroachment from premises of LUH Hyderabad. While disposing off the petition, the court ordered Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Hyderabad to cooperate with the Health Department and assist the authorities in implementation of the order.