KARACHI - As the city is under threats during the election, rescue services and all government officials established control rooms and allocated beds to deal any emergency situation, on Friday.
City police chief also in handout pinpoint that in the wake of looming threats, all law enforcement agencies have been put on high alert while all pubic areas including recreational sites, areas of corner meeting, parks, Imambargahs, Mosques have been declared sensitive areas.
In this connection, Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Provincial Headquarter Sindh has established 24/7 control room at the Hilal-e-Ahmer House Clifton Karachi for any emergency response in Karachi while all medical hospitals including Civil Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital has allocated 100 beds for take care of any emergency situation.
The emergency response teams of Edhi, Chippa, Khidmat Khalq Foundation (KKF) comprising of trained volunteers and staff are put on high alert all over Sindh to cater any eventuality during the election.
Although, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has assigned 1,500 employees including doctors, nurses, and administrative staff of medical and health services of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation for election duties, all heads of department are required to provide medical cover including standby arrangements for medical, surgical or special care of expected emergency situation.
The leaves of doctors, nursing staff and paramedical staff have been suspended until further notice.
The staff of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases, Sarfraz Rafiqui Shaheed Hospital, Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, Landhi Medical Complex, Spencer Eye Hospital, Landhi Cardiac Centre, Shah Faisal Cardiac Centre, Homeopathic Hospital Nazimabad, Leprosy Hospital Manghopir, Gazdarabad Maternity and General Hospital (GMGH) and others have been assigned for training by the ECP to perform duties in the election as presiding officers and senior assistant pressing officers.
Source on the condition of anonymity said that the major hospitals Karachi was already facing shortage of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and administrative staff as no new hiring was done last seven years in the KMC run health facilities due to its financial crises.
But new development has puts all major the KMC Hospital on verge of closure as big number of employees these health facilities have been tasked to appear in the election training.
A political activist of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) said that everybody knows about looming threats on political personalities, but Sindh government has assigned 1,500 medical staffs of different hospital for election duties, which raise several questions.
“If anything happen during election, who will take care of injured,” he asked.