Dereliction of duty - KMC issues show-cause notices to 7 health officials

By Our Staff Reporter KARACHI- Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s administration has issued show-cause notices to seven public health officials, including two from Rescue 1122, on the charges of dereliction of duty. The show-cause notices have been issued to Sobhraj Maternity Hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Muhammad Ali, additional medical superintendent Dr Saleem Bholawala and deputy medical superintendent Dr Mumtaz Bashir. Other officials who were reprimanded for not being present at their place of work included Karachi Development Authority Wing’s chief medical officer Dr Saleem Memon, Rescue 1122 focal person Dr Anwer Sohail, Rescue 1122 ambulance transport incharge Muhammad Fazal and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital’s casualty medical officer Dr Afaq. Apart from these seven officials, warnings have been issued to the other casualty medical officers of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Dr Azhar and Dr Soofia. According to KMC’s senior health director Dr Salma Kausar Ali, the notices were issued on the directives of Karachi Administrator Roshan Ali Shaikh. The administrator during his visit to several heatstroke relief centres was taken aback when he came to know that these officers were not present at their respective camps, she said, adding that a doctor at one of the camps had even prescribed an ultrasound to a poor patient although he (Dr) was supposed to conduct the test at the KMC’s health facility. “Even the incharge of the polyclinic, Dr Saleem Memon, has been given the notice as he was also not present in his office,” she said. However, Dr Memon said that it was his job to visit other panel hospitals and as such he was not present when the administrator came to visit.