Employees of Major Hospital in Karachi Go Unpaid for 4 Months
Inaugurated in 2004, the hospital began as a 50-bed facility under the provincial health department.
KARACHI: Over 400 employees at the Sindh Government Children’s Hospital in Karachi have not received their salaries for the past four months, prompting warnings of protest action if payments are not made by August.
The hospital, operated under a public-private partnership, has faced repeated delays in disbursing salaries since its management was handed over to an NGO in 2016.
Hospital administrators, confirmed the delay and said the hospital’s budget is currently being processed. They assured that salaries would be paid next month once the funds are released.
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Inaugurated in 2004, the hospital began as a 50-bed facility under the provincial health department. A new building funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was added in 2013, with extended hours supported by a provincial grant of Rs. 100 million.
In 2016, the hospital’s management was transferred to an NGO under a public-private partnership, with an increased annual budget of Rs440 million. The arrangement is set to continue until October 2026.
Despite the expanded budget, the hospital has struggled with consistent service delivery and staff payments. Since the management shift, the hospital has seen at least ten strikes over unpaid salaries and several temporary shutdowns. It has not conducted any major pediatric surgeries and continues to refer complex cases to other facilities such as the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) or Civil Hospital.
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