KARACHI: The Sindh government’s decision to relocate Services Hospital Karachi to three rooms and three halls at a Karachi Metropolitan Corporation-run hospital has been challenged through a legal representation, with lawyers questioning the legality of the move and its potential impact on healthcare services for government employees and their families.
Advocates Saifullah Baloch and Ahsan Bari have submitted a representation to the Sindh chief secretary requesting suspension of the Health Department’s notification issued on August 18 and seeking an immediate review of the proposed relocation.
Speaking to Health Matters Media, Advocate Ahsan Bari questioned how a fully functional hospital operating across approximately 49,909 square feet could be accommodated within such limited space.
“We cannot fit 49,909 square feet of infrastructure, 26 OPDs, 270 staff, surgical equipment and diagnostic laboratories into three rooms,” Bari said, referring to the concerns raised in the representation.
Sindh Government Services Hospital provides designated healthcare services to government employees and their eligible family members. It is not a general public hospital. The institution also performs official functions, including medical boards, fitness assessments, disability certification, medical reimbursement processing and examinations referred by government departments and courts.
According to the representation, the hospital’s existing facilities include an outpatient block covering approximately 20,955 square feet, an indoor ward block spanning 26,810 square feet and a radiology department occupying around 2,144 square feet.
The outpatient block reportedly contains approximately 67 to 70 rooms and 26 specialised outpatient departments. The hospital employs around 270 officers and staff and serves between 800 and 1,000 patients daily, according to figures provided in the representation.
Under Notification No. E&A(HD)10-70/2026, the hospital is to be shifted to three rooms and three halls on the second floor of the KMC-operated Sarfaraz Rafiquee Shaheed Hospital. Its existing premises are subsequently to be handed over to Dr Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.
Advocate Bari said the proposed relocation raises serious questions about the continuation of specialised treatment, diagnostic services, medical boards and other official healthcare functions.
He questioned whether the proposed premises could accommodate the existing OPDs, indoor wards, operating theatres, laboratories, medical equipment, administrative offices and patient records.
The hospital reportedly provides diagnostic and treatment facilities including CT scanning, mammography, echocardiography, ultrasound, X-rays, laboratory testing, dental care, paediatrics, gynaecology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology and physiotherapy.
Its infrastructure also reportedly includes operating theatres, a labour room, medical and surgical wards, and other facilities requiring dedicated space and technical arrangements.
The lawyers have questioned whether any technical assessment was conducted to determine if these services can operate safely at the proposed premises and whether adequate arrangements exist for electricity, oxygen, ventilation, infection control and emergency support.
They have also sought clarification about what will happen to admitted patients, medical equipment, surgical facilities and sensitive medical records during the relocation.
The representation argues that any disruption to the hospital’s medical boards and certification services could affect government employees, judicial institutions and departments that rely on its assessments.
Advocate Bari also questioned whether the Sindh cabinet approved the relocation and the proposed transfer of the existing hospital premises.
According to the representation, the lawyers believe the decision could not lawfully be taken solely through a departmental notification without the approvals required under the relevant rules of business.
However, whether cabinet approval was legally required or obtained could not be independently established from the documents available.
The lawyers have further questioned whether hospital staff, employees’ representatives, affected government departments and other stakeholders were consulted before the decision was made.
They have sought disclosure of any feasibility study, patient-safety assessment, relocation plan or administrative evaluation prepared before the order was issued.
Questions have also been raised about why the existing Services Hospital building is being transferred to Civil Hospital Karachi, how the premises will be used and whether alternative arrangements were considered that could preserve healthcare services for government employees.
Another issue concerns the ownership and administrative control of the hospital’s land and buildings and whether all necessary departmental consents were obtained before ordering the proposed handover.
The representation also questions whether the notification was publicly disclosed and whether affected employees were adequately informed before the relocation process began.
The lawyers have asked the chief secretary to suspend the notification, halt any transfer of possession and maintain the existing status of the hospital’s land, buildings and administration until the matter is examined.
The Sindh Health Department, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and Civil Hospital Karachi have yet to provide their positions on the questions raised in the representation.
