Zubair Qureshi
The functioning of the cooling system— Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning’ (HVAC) — at the Islamabad Hospital (IH) of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) is further delayed as the authorities at the Public Works Department (PWD) have failed to meet the deadline i.e. June 30, 2023. The new date they have given is August 10, 2023.
The project that started in 2019 at a cost of over Rs1.2 billion was to be completed by the above-mentioned date (revised) but the PWD engineers citing various technical issues have now given a new date and the HVAC system is now delayed for another 40 days. After the new date, the patients admitted in various wards of the Islamabad Hospital and those visiting the OutPatient Department (OPD) and the Emergency wards (old and new) will have to rely mainly on the stop gap arrangement that the PIMS authorities made in the wake of the last month’s heat wave. Former Member of the Parliament belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Hanif Abbasi, had gifted six air conditioners to the PIMS on June 28, a day prior to Eidul Azha after the news of four patients’ death due to non-availability of cooling system went viral.
However, later it turned out that the patients had passed away due to heatstroke and other related complications.
On the particular day when the deaths were reported in the emergency ward of the IH, the situation had aggravated because the PWD had turned off all the cooling plants and the air conditioners for ‘water leakage’ test.
The fact that Islamabad was in the grip of a severe heat wave on that day had created panic among the patients, their attendants and doctors.
The news of the patients’ deaths had prompted the Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel to rush to the hospital and direct the administration to install air conditioners in the emergency department within 24 hours.
Meanwhile, over 700 gastro patients were brought to the Emergency Ward of the PIMS hospital during the three days of Eid-ul-Azha over the complaint of heavy intake of meat.
The patients were given prompt medical assistance and provided necessary care. PIMS’ spokesperson Dr Mubashir Daha said the Executive Director (ED) of the PIMS Dr Imran Sikandar had directed all the units of the Emergency ward to stay alert during the three days of the Eid and he personally monitored the services.
Because of intense heat people are advised to refrain from overeating, rather they should drink more fluids like lemonade and fresh juices, Dr Daha said. Moreover, patients of Hepatitis C, liver and heart malfunctioning should use utmost caution while eating meat, he further said.
