KARACHI: The provincial health department has upgraded six of its hospitals in the city by giving them the status of teaching hospitals, it emerged on Tuesday.

According to a health department notification, the names of the upgraded hospitals are: Sindh Government Hospital Saudabad, Sindh Government Hospital Korangi, Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad, Sindh Government Hospital New Karachi, Sindh Government Qatar Hospital, Orangi, and Sindh Government Hospital Ibrahim Hyderi.

It said Sindh Government Hospital Liaquatabad, Sindh Government Hospital New Karachi and Qatar Hospital would be affiliated with the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), while Sindh Government Hospital Saudabad, Sindh Government Hospital Korangi and Sindh Government Hospital Ibrahim Hyderi would be linked with the Jinnah-Sindh Medical University (JSMU).

It is the second time that the provincial government has notified Qatar Hospital as a teaching hospital. In a previous notification issued in 2002 it had been linked it with the Dow Medical College but the notification was withdrawn for unspecified reasons.

Prof Tariq Rafi, vice chancellor of the JSMU, told Dawn that the government decision was aimed at building the capacity of its secondary hospitals with the basic objective of reducing the load of patients on the three major hospitals in the metropolis.

“As is the practice in other countries, this decision is aimed at improving the capability of the government’s secondary hospitals so that it could cater to a large chunk of patients who normally go to major government hospitals up till now,” said Prof Rafi.

In the new scheme, the six provincial government hospitals will be attached to the tertiary hospitals and major medical schools to get benefit of their experience and expertise.

“In this set-up,” officials said, “the doctors in the secondary hospitals would be exposed to the major hospitals. Besides, experienced doctors of the tertiary hospitals and professors will visit the hospitals which will attract patients and improve the capability of the secondary facility even further.”

Officials said the decision had been taken after taking security conditions into consideration.

However, some senior medical professionals said some facilities were in the areas having a volatile security situation. They particularly referred to the law and order situation in district west where it was mandatory for them to visit the facilities.

Meanwhile, president of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Karachi chapter Dr Idrees Adhi welcomed the government decision and said the upgrade would improve the health delivery system in the hospitals.

He said doctors, undergraduate and postgraduate students and patients would largely benefits from it. He said such a step should have been taken earlier but it was good that the government finally accepted this PMA demand.

He said training of doctors at district level hospitals would improve healthcare quality and patients’ confidence in government-run healthcare facilities.