KARACHI: The Sindh Healthcare Commission (SHCC) has issued regular licences to five major health facilities in Karachi after they complied with the commission`s guidelines.

These hospitals include Ziauddin Hospital, CliftonandNorthNazimabad, Memon Medical Institute Hospital, Bahria Town Hospital, and Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi.

The commission has accelerated the registra-tion and inspection process of hospitals in Sindh.

According to a statement, the SHCC issued 104 registration certificates were issued to clinics/hospitals in the province during JulyAugust 2022. Provisional licences were also issued to 18 hospitals.

Teams of the commission, in its anti-quackery drive, also conducted widespread inspection and enforcement visits.

During the period, the teams conducted 535 inspections of various healthcare establishments (HCEs) across the province. A total of 60 clinics/hospitals were sealed, with over 215 warning notices issued to different practitioners on noncompliance. 178 clinics/hospitals were found to be compliant with SHCC Act andRegulations. In addition, 82 clinics were resealed.

The SHCC imposed a total of Rs2.08 million fines on non-compliant clinics, and over 80 per cent of the fines imposed were successfully recovered.

The statement added that the commission received 6 complaints against hospitals/clinics, and the hospitais in question were inspected in relation to the complaints to establish facts followed by proper hearing of complainants and defendants.

Training sessions on Minimum Service Delivery Standards for Homoeopathic Clinics was arranged, in which 27 homoeopathic clinics participated. In another training session for hospitals, 66 general practitioners, and22 hospitals in Karachi were provided training.

The statement said SHCC teams were also in the process of developing standards for telemedicine, radiology and dental practice.

They held meetings with Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) and relevant stakeholders to discuss radiology standards and for reviewing the final draft of dental standards.

The commission has also hired new staff to strengthen district headquarters offices. -APP