KARACHI: Sindh Health Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro on Wednesday informed the provincial assembly that corruption cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) against some officials, who had workedin Hepatitis Prevention and Control Programme (HPCP) between 2010 and 2014, were pending in courts.

The minister was responding to questions of legislators during the Question Hour pertaining to the health department in the Sindh Assembly.

In reply to a question by Muttahida Qaumi Movement legislator Heer Soho regarding corruption/misappropriation in the hepatitis control programme, Dr Mandhro said an FIR had been registered against a former official in charge of stores, Imran Abro. Besides, a case had also been filed against Dr Majeed Chhuto, Dr Ayaz Memon, Dr Thebo, and others in court.

In response to another question of hers, the minister said Dr Chhuto had retired while others who had been granted bail were removed from their positions in the HPCP.Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf legislator Khurram Sherzaman asked why no punishment had yet been given to the culprits by the department though the case related to 2010. The minister told the house that the department could not convict or give punishment. The case was pending in court and only the court had the authority to give them punishment, he added.

Responding to a question by MQM legislator Dewan Chawla regarding fake/ expired medicines being sold in medical stores in Golarchi, the minister said that samples were taken from two medical stores and tested in laboratories but the results showed that the medicines were neither fake nor expire d. Therefore, he added, no case was filed.

Hepatitis medicines` availability About the availability ofhepatitis medicines and their prices, the minister said that earlier injections were administered but a new medicine in tablet form was prescribed to patients at present. He explained that a packet of 28 tablets used to cost Rs32,000. But the price was slashed to around Rs5,500, he said, claiming that patients at government hospitals were provided medicines free of cost. In reply to another question, the minister said the patients once using injections could not be shifted to tablets.

PTI legislator Seema Zia asked a question about the practice of using new medicines on patients, as had been done in North America and India. The minister said the tablets had been used on 1,113 patients in the province.

While 323 of them had completed the course and had been cured, treatment ofothers was under way, he added.

The health minister said that hepatitis was a viral disease that affected around 12 million in Pakistan though all its forms were not deadly. He said efforts were being made to control the disease with the help of foreign assistance.

Responding to a question by MQM lawmaker Zafar Kamali about treatment of tuberculosis patients, the minister said that drugs had been developed to cure TB but patients had to take regular medicines for a long time. He said the Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) was an effective method to treat the disease.

Dr Mandhro informed the house that detection, diagnosis and treatment facilities for TB patients were available at 277 sites in the province.Responding to a question by Ms Zia, the minister agreed for the establishment of more medical facilities and isolation wards for all TB patients, particularly those suffering from the `multidrug resistant TB` type. He said treatment for each patient suffering from the resistant TB type cost around Rs 800,000. He said since the treatment was long, the particulars of all the registered patients were recorded. The patients and their caretakers were even given travel and food expenses so that they did notface any KnancialdifEculties in travelling to their respective clinic, where they were registered.

In reply to a question of Pakistan Muslim LeagueFunctional legislator Rafique Banbhan, the health minister said the Sindh government regularised the services of over 22,570 lady health workers (BPS 5); 770lady health supervisors (BPS 7), 668 drivers (BPS 4), 34 accounts supervisors (BPS 7) and 69 other employees at the provincial level. Initially, he said, these were hired by the federal government during Benazir Bhutto`s tenure, but they were fired after the change in the federal government. Eventually the Sindh government adopted them and regularised their services, the minister added.

Ms Zia asked about qualifications of LHWs. The house was told that matriculated girls were recruited from villages and they were given six-months` training before they were sent to serve in their communities.

MQM legislators Saleem Bandhani and Amir Pirzada; Sorath Thebo of the PML-N; and PTI legislator Samar Khan among other lawmakers also participated in the question Hour.