KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has suspended the operation of a circular concerning the shifting of Sindh Government Services Hospital, Karachi, to newly allotted premises at Sarfaraz Rafiqui Shaheed Hospital, providing interim relief in a petition challenging the move.
According to an order passed on August 27 in Constitutional Petition No. D-5393 of 2026, the court issued notices to the respondents as well as the Advocate General Sindh for September 15, 2026. The order further directed respondent Nos. 5 to 7 to remain present on the next date of hearing.
Importantly, the court ordered that, in the meantime, the operation of Circular No. SHK/-957 dated August 19, 2026, “shall remain suspended.”
The suspended circular, issued from the Office of the Medical Superintendent, Services Hospital and Civil Surgeon Karachi, had directed the shifting of the existing Sindh Government Services Hospital from its present premises to space allotted at Sarfaraz Rafiqui Shaheed Hospital under the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.
According to the circular, the Director Medical & Health Services, KMC, had allotted three rooms and three halls on the second floor of Sarfaraz Rafiqui Shaheed Hospital for the relocation. The circular also referred to a Sindh Health Department communication dated August 18 and stated that the existing Services Hospital premises were to be handed over to Civil Hospital Karachi with immediate effect.
The relocation order covered the hospital's heads of departments, OPD doctors, administrative staff, pharmacists, nurses, technical and supporting paramedical staff and other employees. Officials were instructed to ensure an urgent and orderly shift so that hospital services and essential administrative functions could continue without interruption.
The decision, however, became the subject of legal proceedings, with concerns being raised over its implications for the functioning of the hospital and the people dependent upon its services.
Sindh Government Services Hospital has traditionally catered to government employees and their families, making any major change in its location and service arrangements a matter of significant public and employee interest. Questions have also been raised by stakeholders over whether the newly allotted space would be sufficient to accommodate the hospital's existing clinical, diagnostic, pharmacy, nursing and administrative functions.
The High Court's interim order does not amount to a final determination on the legality or merits of the proposed relocation. Rather, it suspends the operation of the impugned circular while the matter remains before the court. The respondents will have an opportunity to place their position before the court during further proceedings.
The development has nevertheless put the proposed relocation on hold for the time being and brought the issue of continuity, accessibility and adequacy of healthcare services for government employees into sharper focus.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 15, 2026, when further proceedings in the matter are expected.
