MIRPURKHAS: Representatives of various political and religious parties, nationalist groups and civil society organisations attended a conference organised by the All City Tajir Ittehad here on late Friday evening to discuss the situation arising out of the abrupt shifting of emergency and other wards of the Mirpurkhas Civil Hospital to an under-construction building away from the city.

The conference was chaired by president of the traders’ alliance Kamran Memon. Faqeer Mohammad, A.R. Memon, Maulana Hafeezur Rehman Faiz, Advocate Khurram and others spoke at the event held in Malik Hall.

A resolution adopted at the conference strongly demanded that no ward at the hospital’s present building be closed or shifted until proper treatment facilities were put in place at the new place. It argued that thousands of patients were deprived of emergency, OPD and other essentially required health facilities due to the abrupt closure of wards at the existing building.

The participants noted that the hospital catered to the healthcare needs of a large number of people living within Mirpurkhas and many towns and villages in the district.

Kamran Memon deplored that the closure and shifting process had been started in a hurry for unknown reasons. Patients, mostly accompanying their attendants, are turned away when they arrive at the civil hospital only to be told that treatment facilities were no more available there. They are advised to proceed to the new building, located some five kilometres away from the present site.

Mr Memon also noted that no handover/takeover of the new building had taken place. The construction work was also yet to be completed at the new site, which had until now been serving as the Mirpurkhas District Headquarter Hospital, he said.

Some speakers apprehended that vested interests backed by influential political and other figures might be instrumental in getting the civil hospital building vacated at the earliest with a view to occupy it or buy the property at a throwaway price. They suspected that such elements were planning to build a shopping mall or some other commercial concern at the ideally located site for construction of commercial buildings and business centers to earn huge money.

They claimed that the staff of the civil hospital was unwilling to move to the new site but the administration was forcing them to abide by the health department’s order or face disciplinary action.

The conference noted that proper infrastructure, transport means and streetlights were also not available along the routes of the new hospital site which would cause more hardship to patients, attendants and other visitors, besides employees.

It urged the governor, chief minister and judiciary to take notice of the issue and appropriate action in this regard.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2021