KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the provincial health department to remove all the doctors working as project directors on different projects saying, “This is not their job – their job is to serve ailing people of the province and let them do their work.”
He expressed these views while presiding over a development review meeting of health department here at the CM House here on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mendhro, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, Additional chief Secretary (Dev) M. Waseem, Secretary Health Fazal Pechuho, Principal Secretary to CM Naveed Kamran Baloch, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi and other concerned officers.
Minister Health Dr Sikandar Mendhro briefing the Chief Minister said that that there was a Rs14 billion development portfolio of health department. He added that over all there were 146, including 89 ongoing scheme of Rs14 billion, of them Rs5245.374 million have been released against which expenditures stand at Rs1677.873 million.
Giving the beak up of the schemes, Secretary Health Fazal Pechuho said that there were 22 schemes of Rs 2154.94 million prioritized to complete them by the end of this financial year. The finance department has released Rs2154.920 million and against which Rs252.774 million have been utilized and the remaining amount would also be released shortly.
Pechuho said that there were 65 other schemes of Rs6985.331 million against which Rs3680.677 have been released while the expenditures are Rs 1396.724 million. Apart from it there are two foreign funded schemes with a Rs228.499 million against which the government has released Rs66.765 million and the expenditures are Rs28.375 million. The Secretary Health said that there are also 57 new schemes of Rs4631.250 million against which Rs21.250 million have been release. The new schemes are in approving phase, therefore there were no expenditures on them.
Murad Ali Shah expressed his displeasure when he was informed about the slow progress of six schemes of Karachi which include Rs 149.467 million Cardiac emergency center Baldia, strengthening of Services hospital for Rs162.477 million, Rs4.059 million up gradation of Chemico-Bacteriological Lab, Rs317.8 million Ancillary and other services hospital at Nipa, Rs196.642 million establishment f Central Blood Bank and Rs199.771 million upgradation of three Maternity homes at PIB Colony, Soldier Bazar and Patel para.
The Chief Minister said that it was quite surprising for him that instead of posting doctors in hospitals they have been made Project t Directors and assigned administration job. “This is an injustice with them and their jobs- you have taken them away from the jobs they are trained and have assigned them the work for which they are not trained,” he observed and directed the health minister and secretary to put up proposal for removing them.
Murad Ali Shah expressed dismay when he was told that some of the health schemes of Malir have not been taken up because their design approval was pending with DG Designs of Works & Services Department. “I cannot allow any person in time which has no dedication, devotion and love with his work,” he said and directed the chief secretary to call all the officers of works & Services and the health department tomorrow morning at 8am, “I am want to have their joint meeting tomorrow (Wednesday morning) to identify where the fault lies,” he said and and asked the chief secretary to send the officers home who cannot work with devotion and honesty.
The CM categorically said that he was not happy with the development endeavor of the health department. “I would take strict action if the concerned officers of health department failed to make their direction correct,” he warned.
He left the meeting incomplete and convened them meeting again on Wednesday morning at 8 am to review their development work.
