The Sindh Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) ordered an investigation after learning that essential diagnostic machines had been out of service for years at several Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) hospitals.
In a meeting chaired by Nisar Khuhro, audit officials reported that X-ray, ultrasound, ECG and other equipment were not working at Sobhraj Maternity Hospital and other KMC-run facilities.
The medical superintendent of Sobhraj Hospital confirmed its X-ray machine was non-functional from 2022 to 2025 and was only recently repaired.
Khuhro asked why KMC failed to allocate funds to fix a single X-ray unit for three years despite the Sindh government's allocation of billions of rupees for free health services.
Committee member Taha Ahmed said the long-term breakdown of diagnostic gear caused serious problems for patients, allegedly forcing many to turn to private labs.
He also pointed out similar issues province-wide, where costly equipment such as MRI machines remained broken or unused because of a shortage of technical staff.
The committee directed the Chief Minister's Inspection Team (CMIT) to examine non-functional X-ray, CT scan, ultrasound, MRI and ECG machines at KMC hospitals and other health facilities across Sindh, with a deadline of one month for the report.
KMC Municipal Commissioner Abrar Ahmed Jafar told the committee that 13 hospitals operate under the corporation and said the mayor was personally visiting hospitals to ensure health services are being provided.
