HYDERABAD, July 23: Adviser to the Sindh Chief Minister for Health Faisal Malik has directed health authorities to pay surprise visits to hospitals and personally monitor the facilities being provided by the hospitals.

At a briefing on the health department's projects at the Health Services Directorate General committee room here on Thursday, he advised health authorities to change their attitude towards patients and ensure that they were treated properly and also that medicines were provided to them as he had come to know otherwise which was deplorable.

He, however, assured them that genuine problems of doctors would be resolved. The adviser also sought information from the authorities on precautionary measures being taken against forthcoming rains and subsequent floods in the province while asserting that government wanted to see some real work done.

Earlier, Dr Abdul Majeed briefed the adviser on targets and achievements of the National Programme for Family Planning as well as the Primary Health Care while Dr Chaudhry Iqtidar Hussain briefed him on targeted achievements of the TB Control Programme. Health secretary Ashiq Hussain Memon, additional health secretary Dr Iqbal, health director-general Dr Hussain Bux Memon and others were also present.

CHIEF SECRETARY: Sindh Chief Secretary Aslam Sanjrani on Friday held meetings with nazims and EDOs and urged them to address local problems at the local level.

District Nazim Dr Makhdoom Rafiquzzaman and taluka nazims of Hyderabad city, Qasimabad, Latifabad, Tando Allahyar, Hyderabad rural and Matiari briefed the Sindh chief secretary about the problems of the district government and placed some proposals to solve the same.

Mr Sanjrani urged the officials concerned to submit summaries about the problems with their proposals and background without further delay. The Sindh chief secretary also held a meeting with members of the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Kotri Association of Trade and Industry.

He urged industrialists to cooperate with the government for solving socio-economic problems of the people. The chief secretary also held meeting with notables of the district and discussed civic as well as economic problems of rural and urban areas of the district.

The participants offered suggestions for solving their problems, which mostly pertained to sports, culture, agriculture, irrigation, education and health department. Later, Mr Sanjrani visited the Hyderabad press club and remained their for one hour.

He discussed socio-economic problems of the historic city with journalists. The chief secretary also invited proposals and suggestions from journalists to get problems of Sindh's second largest city solved.