KARACHI - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislator Khurrum Sherzaman on Saturday expressed outrage over a lack of female medico-legal officers (MLOs) in three major Karachi hospitals.
Sherzaman said that only five MLOs were available at city hospitals -- Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Out of these five female MLOs, two are on medical leave.
The neglect regarding availability of female MLOs in Karachi by the PPP government in Sindh is surprising given that it claims to be a “champion” of women’s rights in Pakistan.
As per rules, every government hospital should have additional police surgeon of grade-19, two senior female medico-legal officers of grade-18 and three female medico-legal officers of grade-17. Accordingly, Karachi should have 71 MLOs of which nine should be female.
He underlined the importance of MLOs when it comes to the criminal justice system in Pakistan in terms of investigation process as they conduct autopsies and examine the victims of violent crimes such as rapes in order to aid the court and prosecution in criminal cases.
Sherzaman demanded that the chief minister and the home minister immediately fill the vacancies of female MLOs at Jinnah Hospital, Civil Hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.