Dearth of surgeons, cardiologists - Patients suffer at Govt’s Liaquatabad hospital

MN Report

KARACHI - Sindh Government Liaquatabad Hospital’s operation theater and cardiac emergency centre have almost become non-functional owing to shortage of surgeons and cardiologists. 
According to sources, acute shortage of specialist doctors and surgeons had forced the management of the health facility not to perform major surgeries.

Such a situation had arisen due to Sindh government’s lack of interest in filling the vacant posts of specialist doctors and surgeons, the sources said, adding that some of the hospital’s senior surgeons had either retired or transferred to other health facilities.

“As a matter of fact, only minor operations are nowadays being carried out at the hospital,” they added.

With regard to the patients requiring major surgeries, the sources said that such cases were being referred to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Civil Hospital Karachi.

Similarly, the hospital’s cardiac emergency centre has also become non-functional due to shortage of cardiologists. “Around 100 patients visit the hospital’s Cardiology OPD daily and of them between 10 and 15, who require emergency treatment, are being referred to National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) or other hospitals,” the sources claimed.

When this correspondent contacted the hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Ansar Ahmed Ansari to seek his version over shortage of senior doctors, he said that the hospital immediately require surgeons and cardiologists to deal with the increasing number of patients.

He said that a request for overcoming the shortage of surgeons and cardiologists had already been sent to Sindh health department.