SUKKUR: The Sukkur constitutional bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday ordered the establishment of hospitals and units of Sindh Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (SICVD) in all districts of the province.
The bench comprising Justices Zulfiqar Ali Sangi and Riazat Ali Sahar passed the order on a petition filed by lawyers Gulzar Almani and Sohail Ahmed Khoso from Naushahro Feroze.
The bench ordered provision of medicines and treatment to patients at the heart hospital and all government civil hospitals, and expressed anger at the secretary of health, Ali Raza Baloch, for lack of facilities, shortage of doctors and staff, unavailability of medicines and misuse of funds in all government hospitals, including Sukkur Civil Hospital, Pano Aqil taluka hospital, and Moro hospital.
Justice Sangi said to the secretary: “Are you secretary of health for only Karachi or for the whole of Sindh? If the health department cannot run the hospitals, then privatise all the health institutions. At least, it will help save human lives,” remarked the judge.
“If the government doctors are not ready to work, terminate them and the other medical staff who don’t perform their duties. There are many unemployed doctors sitting here, while others are working abroad,” he said.
The court raised questions over lack of facilities and faulty machinery at Sukkur Civil Hospital, absence of treatment in Pano Aqil, and the lack of a heart hospital or unit in all areas, from Bhiria Road to Hyderabad.
“Tell the court how many SICVD hospitals and units are in Karachi, and in comparison with the metropolis, how many are in the rest of Sindh?” he asked.
The secretary replied that there were 18 heart hospitals and units in Karachi and only 10 in the rest of the province. “There is no proper treatment in several PPHI-managed and other hospitals as doctors make private technicians work in their place in these hospitals, and they themselves [doctors] work in their private clinics,” said Justice Sangi.
He asked could a government doctor run a private clinic during his duty hours without permission.
The petitioner Gulzar Almani informed the court that there was no cardiac hospital or its unit in Moro and “if someone has a heart attack, he may die on his way to another district”.
The secretary responded that there were cardiac units in Bhiria Road, Nawabshah, Dadu and Tando Allahyar and the patient could go there.
His answer displeased Justice Riazat Ali Sahar and he said angrily, “If someone has a heart problem, can he survive the 75-kilometre travel to a hospital?”
“Where are the health department’s funds going? If the funds are used correctly, not a single patient will be deprived of medicine,” he said and questioned “where do you spend the funds?”
The secretary said: “We are providing facilities in the hospitals. If the facilities aren’t available, people should complain about them”.
Justice Sangi remarked: “Parents hold protest, holding the holy book in their hands, against lack of treatment at Pano Aqil hospital — is that not a complaint? Sukkur Civil Hospital looks ruined. Don’t you see that protest?”.
He said that doctors visited the hospital at 8.00am and then left. They were absent during duty hours. “All these issues have been brought to your knowledge. We expect results in the next hearing,” said the court.
The bench remarked during the hearing that the secretary should be a doctor.
Sukkur DHO Ali Gul Shah, Civil Hospital MS Ikhtiar Mirani and Naushahro Feroze DHO also appeared before the bench.
Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2025.