KHAIRPUR, March 1: Adequate medical and diagnostic facilities are not available at government-run health centres in the district, reveals a survey conducted by this correspondent.

These centres included the Civil Hospital Khairpur, Lady Wellington Hospital, two taluka hospitals, 11 rural health centres, 76 basic health units and 30 dispensaries.

Only 350 doctors and eight specialists are working at the Civil Hospital which cater to the need of 1.8 million people of the district. The government furnished some health centres with required equipments but not provided funds to utilize them.

It was learnt that many specialists were avoiding to join the hospital due to absence of service structure. Some surgeons, child specialists and cardiologists have not been promoted and those general doctors who were appointed as their subordinates have been promoted to administrative positions.

There was a need of neuro-surgeons, urologists, psychiatrists, neuro-physicians, skin specialists, gynaecologists and anaesthetists at the civil hospital Khairpur.

Coronary care unit and intensive care unit working at civil hospital were set up in 1997 by the Red Crescent Society. With the passage of time many instruments, including cardiac monitors, pulse oxymeters, had gone out of order.

Equipments needed at the hospital included echo-cardiography machine, central monitor, defibrillator, ECG machines, pulse oxymeters, dialysis machine for Hepatitis-B positive patients, incubators, ultrasound, angiography and X-ray machines and ventilator.

MPA Dr Mehreen Bhutto provided an echo-cardiogram machine for the CCU from her quota and the district government sanctioned Rs5 million for the health facilities.

THEFT: Some unidentified thieves took away an ultrasound machine, trolley and stabilizer from the Khairpur Civil hospital here the other day by breaking a wall of the ultrasound room in the main building.

The civil surgeon informed the health EDO as well as the B- section police about the incident whereas sonologist Dr Mohammad Hussain lodged an FIR with the B-section police on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the civil surgeon and the EDO ordered an inquiry into the matter. The ultrasound machine, said to be between Rs600,000 to Rs700,000, was the only one in the hospital facilitating in the diagnosis of 30 to 40 patients daily.

SMALLPOX: Smallpox is spreading rapidly in Bhango Behan and its surroundings villages, including Koro Bhango, Meero Bhango and Tali, Faiz Gung taluka, and also in Rasoolabad. A student of class two, Asif Ali, son of Muharram Bhango, and his 12-year-old sister died of the disease in Koro Bhango village last Friday.

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