Public Sector Hospitals - Posts of around 600 doctors, 334 nurses lying vacant

By Our Staff Reporter Karachi: Around 600 posts of doctors and 334 of staff nurses have been lying vacant in the public sector hospitals of the city, thereby seriously affecting the patients’ care, it was reliably learnt. According to sources, About 200 grade-18 posts of senior medical officer (both male & female) have been lying vacant in the hospitals being run by the city’s health department whereas 325 grade-17 posts of medical officer 17 are vacant in major hospitals, dispensaries and health units of the city for the last several years. Deploring that even over 80 specialists cadre’s posts have been lying vacant in public sector hospitals since long, the sources said that around 264 posts of staff nurses are vacant in the city’s hospitals. The hospitals where these posts are lying vacant since long include Sindh government’s  hospitals located in Orangi Town, New Karachi, Liaquatabad, North Karachi, Saudabad, Ibrahim Hyderi and different dispensaries and health centres. The acute shortage of healthcare practitioners in the city’s hospitals was not only causing inconvenience to patients, but also putting an extra load of work on the doctors available in the city’s heath facilities, the sources added. However, Sindh Secretary Health Dr Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo said that the process of hiring services of 3,000 doctors and 500 staff nurses was currently underway through Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC).