Islamabad, Nov 27 : The basic infrastructure of primary and secondary hospitals in Pakistan's Sindh continues to remain underdeveloped even after 70 years as hundreds of staff positions remain vacant in district hospitals and trauma centres for treating accident victims still not set up, the local media reported.

In 2000, a notification was issued for affiliating four district hospitals with the Dow Medical College to grant them teaching hospital status, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported. However, this notification was not implemented. As per the plan, Dow's faculty would visit district hospitals to provide medical services to patients.

District hospitals only conduct routine tests and basic treatments despite receiving medicines budget from the Sindh government. These hospitals do not have facility to carry out diagnostic tests like MRI, CT scan, PET-T, colour Doppler, and other diagnostic procedures, resulting in patients forced to visit Civil Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where patient load is already overwhelming.

Health centres and maternity homes in other districts and rural areas of Karachi also lack essential facilities. This shortage not only delays timely diagnosis of patients but also causes heavy patient load on major government hospitals.

Muhammad Aslam, a resident of New Karachi, told Express Tribune that he visited the Sindh Government New Karachi Hospital for severe back pain and the doctor advised her an MRI. However, the MRI facility was unavailable at the health facility and a private diagnostic centre asked for Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 20,000 for MRI. He had to borrow money to get the MRI done and said that no government hospital in Karachi conducts spinal cord surgery due to the absence of spine surgeons.

Dr Agha Amir, Medical Superintendent (MS) of the Sindh Government Saudabad Hospital, said that the facility has 180 beds but no MRI and CT scan machines as it has been categorized as a secondary hospital.

He further said, "A trauma centre and psychiatric unit were announced, and machinery worth millions was purchased four years ago, but it has not yet been utilised. Malir district's population is 2.4 million, and patients needing CT or MRI are referred to the Jinnah or Civil hospitals."

/IANS