SANGHAR, June 30: The Civil Hospital can not help in providing health and medical facilities to poor patients, even though it is spread over 18 acres, has several specialists, and medical equipment worth millions of rupees.

A survey conducted by this correspondent revealed that the district headquarters hospital is being used by some greedy doctors, both male and female, as a hunting ground for luring patients to their private clinics.

Poor people visit the Civil Hospital but they are mostly ignored as no doctor will attend them. Rather the touts of the doctors pursue the patients to visit their private clinics.

All this started when the medical superintendent took patients to his private clinic and charged exorbitant fees. Soon some doctors also started indulging in the same practice.

Many hospitals and clinics have been set up around the Civil Hospital where unnecessary operations are being carried out.

In April, a patient, Azra Maseeh, wife of Irshad Maseeh, died when she was not properly attended to.

Dayaram Meghwar, Deh Ubhpur, Sinjhoro Taluka, told this correspondent that he took his wife, Hurmi, to the Civil Hospital on June 25. She was writhing due to severe pain in her stomach. He claimed that a lady doctor told him without examining his wife that her disease was incurable and that she be taken to a hospital in Nawabshah or Hyderabad. He further claimed that in the meantime a man came to him and suggested that he take his wife to a private clinic.

He said that later he had to take his wife to a private clinic when her condition deteriorated. She was operated upon after which she became all right.

district budget: Zila Nazim, Roshan Din Junejo, presented a Rs1.683 billion budget of Sanghar district for the fiscal year 2002-03 at the Zila Council meeting here on Saturday.

An amount of Rs200 million has been earmarked for development schemes.

Mr Junejo informed the House that Rs44.6 million would be spent on the construction/improvement of farm-to-market roads. Out of this amount, he said, Rs42.6 million would be spent on the ongoing and Rs2 million on new schemes.

He said that Rs29.964 million had been earmarked for the elementary education and Rs1.564 million on secondary education. An amount of Rs11.752 million has been spared for technical education and Rs2.952 million for college education, he added.

In health sector, Rs4.341 million would be spent on three basic health units, Mr Junejo said.

An amount of Rs36 million would be provided to housing and physical planning department. Out of the amount, Rs32 million would be spend on drainage scheme phase-II, Shahdadpur and Rs2 million on the Revenue Colony, Sanghar.

The Zila Nazim said that under block allocation, Rs6.24 million were earmarked for the ongoing/abandoned schemes and Rs62.587 million for new schemes. About non-development expenditures, he said that an amount of Rs1.483 billion will be available out of which Rs1.19 billion would be paid under the head of salaries and Rs292.556 million would be allocated for other expenses.

The House approved the budget.