The National Institute of Child Health (NICH), the largest children’s hospital in Karachi, has been suffering major staffing shortages, as 800 out of its 1,200 authorised positions remain unfilled despite a large patient load.
This deficiency has placed immense strain on doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff, adversely impacting the timely delivery of care.
Surgeries are being scheduled three to six months in advance in the children’s hospital in Karachi, while MRI and CT scan services are frequently unavailable due to malfunctioning equipment.
Additionally, the elevator used to transport children to higher floors often fails to operate, as noted in the report.
NICH has a capacity of 500 beds, yet it accommodates over 2,000 children at any given time, leading to three to four patients sharing a single bed.
The outpatient department sees between 500 and 700 children daily, while approximately 300 patients visit the emergency department each day.
The emergency services have also been transitioned to a public-private partnership.
NICH filled with vacant staff positions
At the hospital, 64 out of 89 authorised doctor positions are vacant.
Among the 200 sanctioned nursing roles, 80 remain unfilled, and 250 out of 410 paramedical positions are also vacant.
The report indicated that recruitment has not occurred for several years due to legal issues.
The annual budget for medicines is Rs32 million.
Currently, the hospital employs 65 house officers, four FCPS trainees, 120 FCPS Part-II trainees, 34 MCPS trainees, and 15 trainee RMOs.
Although these trainees are not permanent staff, they receive stipends from the Sindh government, and the administration relies heavily on them to maintain service operations.
Furthermore, the report stated that no permanent recruitment has taken place from 2011 to 2026.
NICH was formerly part of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre before its separation in 1990, when senior pediatric surgeon Professor Nizam-ul-Hassan became its inaugural honorary director.
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