Project of five burns centres hits snags

RATODERO (Larkana), March 29: The project of five burns wards in different hospitals of Sindh, which the provincial government has approved, may be delayed for want of required equipment and instruments. The estimated cost of the project is Rs182.695 million with a capital cost of Rs19 million and a revenue cost of Rs163.645 million. The capital cost budget was placed at the disposal of the concerned drawing and disbursing officer but the revenue component was withheld by the health department with the commitment that it would itself procure all the required equipment and instruments but so far they have failed to do so. An officer of the health department told PPI on condition of anonymity that revenue component was withheld only to receive commission directly from the suppliers and, if the rate of commission is not settled, then this project will face the same fate as of CT Scan and MRI projects which were started during the previous coalition government and could not be started anywhere in Sindh. The 14-bed burns ward building is complete at CMCH and this centre was to start operation by end of June 2011 but there are no such signs at all as the provincial health department has done nothing to fulfil its primary duty of opening letter of credits for import of instruments/equipment as required under the approved PC-1.These wards are being established in the Sindh Government Hospital, Liaquatabad, Karachi, Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad, Chandka Medical College Hospital (CMCH), Larkana, Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College Hospital, Sukkur, and Civil Hospital, Mirpurkhas. Burns wards are vital for hospitals of interior Sindh as all such patients are currently shifted to Karachi and many of them lose their lives before getting any treatment. Equipment and instruments would be procured for establishing operation theatres, Intensive Care Units, recover y rooms, dressing rooms and sterilisation rooms etc. These equipment and instruments include: Skin grafting knives, skin graft masher carrier, free masher, pneumatic dermatome complete with hand piece case, autoclave, surgical drum, oxygen cylinder & flow meter, ceiling OT light, anaesthesia machines, micro-surgical instruments, central monitoring system, defibrillators, ventilators (adult/pads), OT tables, Laryngoscope, diathermies etc. The staff required at CMCH for running the burns ward include Deputy Director (BS-18), two senior medical officers (BS-18), six male/female medical officers of BS- 17, four staff nurses of BS-16, three dialysis technician of BS -9, OT technician & OT assistants, attendants, ward servants, watchmen, sanitary workers and naib qasids.