Sukkur: Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho on Friday inaugurated a state-of-the-art 50-bed Trauma and Emergency Response Centre (TandERC), established under the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma, during a visit to the Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College and Civil Hospital, Sukkur.
On the occasion, the health minister also formally launched the anti polio booster dose campaign by administering polio drops to children.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by MNA Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, Sindh government spokesperson and Sukkur Mayor Barrister Arslan Islam Sheikh, Sukkur Commissioner Abid Saleem Qureshi, Deputy Commissioner Nadir Shahzad Khan, Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Principal Dr Saleh Channa, District Health Officer Dr Ali Gul Shah, senior officials of the health department and other relevant authorities.
Following the inauguration, Dr Pechuho inspected various sections of the Trauma and Emergency Response Centre, including the X-ray unit, minor operation theatre, emergency wards and other modern healthcare facilities.
She directed the authorities concerned to ensure the timely, uninterrupted and quality provision of medical services to patients.
Addressing the ceremony, Dr Saleh Channa said that approximately 6,000 patients visited the hospital’s outpatient department every day, adding that the institution’s current annual budget of Rs400 million was insufficient to meet the growing demand for healthcare services.
He said that the suspension of non-development expenditure and recurrent funds, coupled with delays in the release of the revised budget, had created financial difficulties for the institution.
He requested the provincial health minister to provide additional funds for the hospital and medical college to enable them to improve and expand healthcare services for the public.
Sindh government spokesperson and Sukkur Mayor Barrister Arslan Islam Sheikh said that the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government was taking practical measures to provide modern healthcare facilities and essential public services.
He said that the establishment of institutions such as the Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (SICVD), children’s hospitals and other modern healthcare facilities reflected the government’s people-oriented policies.
MNA Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah said that the Pakistan Peoples Party had completed several landmark projects in the health sector that had received recognition at the international level.
He cited the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), SICVD, the CyberKnife facility at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in Karachi, children’s hospitals and trauma centres as examples of advanced healthcare services being provided to the public.
Mr Shah said that Sukkur was an important commercial and communication hub linking Sindh with Balochistan and Punjab.
He added that traffic pressure in the city had increased following the development of the motorway network.
In such circumstances, he said, the modern Trauma and Emergency Response Centre would play an important role in providing timely and effective treatment to victims of road accidents and other emergencies.
Dr Pechuho said that Mr Shah had consistently played a significant role in promoting public welfare and strengthening the healthcare sector in Sukkur.
She said that the establishment and expansion of modern healthcare institutions, including SICVD, children’s hospitals and the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), were the result of his sustained efforts.
Taking notice of the shortage of manpower and qualified faculty at Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College, the health minister directed the authorities concerned to immediately submit a summary so that additional teaching and medical staff
could be provided after consultation with the Sindh chief minister.
Dr Pechuho reaffirmed the Sindh government’s commitment to continuing all possible efforts to ensure the provision of modern, quality and timely healthcare services to the people.