Karachi: Health infrastructure at the district level is facing severe administrative and financial crisis as either no district health officer has own office building or buildings are near to collapse if some have, it’s learnt by this scribe.

According to sources, no district health officer (DHO) has own building in Karachi except of DHO South but it’s near to demolish. Most of DHO offices in Karachi are located in buildings of dispensaries, urban health centres like in districts central, Kemari, East, West, Malir and Korangi. 

Although DHO offices play a vital role in maintaining health infrastructure and responding to any health emergency or incident significant to public health.

This situation needs an urgent transformation. There should be an office complex at least at every district level to house all health offices headed by the respective DHO, sources stressed.  A DHO is a head of the district responsible to respond to any task or emergency related to curative side, public health, outbreaks, primary healthcare services and preventive programs. 

The DHO office is currently running only two programs i.e mnch and epi while other programs are not taken on board. DHOs has a severe constraint with regard to budget and financial powers, sources added.  This issue is not being addressed seriously by the offices of director health Karachi, the director general (DG) health Sindh, secretary health and provincial health department.