HYDERABAD, July 14: The Liaquat University Hospital faced shortage of doctors, paramedics, nursing staff and sanitation personnel because a number of departments set up in the hospital from time to time had been working without approval of Schedule of New Expenditures (SNEs) since 80s, said newly appointed medical superintendent, Dr. Waseem Shaikh on Saturday.

Speaking to journalists at the hospital’s conference room, Mr Shaikh said that the 1300-bed hospital should have according to nursing rules one nurse for ten beds and it required 130 nurses for one shift alone, bringing total number of nursing staff for three shifts to 390 but the hospital had only 120 nurses while required strength came to 468.

He said that the SNEs of the new departments were not approved and the staff was adjusted there from the existing strength. Thirty-two operation theatres also needed nursing staff and same was the case with sanitary staff for new departments, he said.

He said that he was trying to ensure regularity and punctuality among staff and doctors so that patients could get proper and timely treatment. There was general complaint that the professors did not turn up in hospital for patients’ treatment, he said and added that he taken up the matter with the vice-chancellor of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Prof. Dr. Noshad A. Shaikh who had promised to extend full cooperation.

He said that the VC would himself visit the hospital's wards to help curb absenteeism. He admitted that normally in emergencies professors or associate professors who were on call did not attend to patients.

He said that he would depute registrar of each speciality in the casualty because there were registrars who were competent enough and had passed their FCPS Part-I. Still, if the registrar needed presence of professors he would be free to call them, he added.

He said that his top priority would be to ensure establishment of Rs650 million trauma centre in the hospital for which space was available in Noor Mohammad High School hostel.

In next few days the hospital’s burns ward would be shifted to upper storey of private wards because the construction and works department had recommended its demolition. He said that 20 beds would be arranged in the private wards.

The hospital was facing shortage of sanitation personnel because. A complaint centre and information desk would be established for giving proper information to general public and media.

The jail ward would soon be inaugurated by district nazim as it was established under directives of Justice Amir Hani Muslim of Sindh High Court, he said.

He claimed that the hospital was not facing shortage of drugs saying right now medicines worth Rs80 million were available. Besides, the Sindh government had raised by Rs20 million the hospital's budget for drugs to Rs210 from Rs190 million.

He said that the hospital purchased medicines on six months basis through one time transfer of funds and denied reports that the hospital was not getting quality medicines. He named some third and fourth generation medicines of some multinational companies, which he said were available in the hospital's store.

Mr Shaikh said that he wanted to build positive image of casualty department, which was the face of the hospital. The casualty department used to serve as “kala pani” (a mark of punishment) for doctors and the administration would post there doctors who needed to be penalised but he would depute the staff and doctors who wanted to serve there willingly.