Lawmakers shocked to find only 10 beds in PIMS’ Cardiology ICU
Zubair Qureshi
Members of the Senate’s Standing Committee for Health on Monday visited the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and were shocked to see the hospital was facing scores of problems and little was being done to improve things.
The lawmakers visited the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Cardiology Ward and Children’s Hospital and drew the attention of the members of the hospital administration to poor cleanliness in the children hospital and shortage of beds in the Cardiology Emergency Ward. They also sought an update on the kidney transplant centre at the PIMS.
The senators’ delegation led by Senator Humayun Mohmand, Chairman of the Committee for Health, was told by the Director that only ten beds were reserved for the ICU patients in the Cardiology Ward which is far from sufficient for Islamabad and its suburbs. He however informed me that a project of a 700-bed emergency in different wards was underway. The Director explained that despite the growing population of Islamabad, the hospital administration was trying its best to cater to the medical and clinical needs of the residents.
Dean and Chief Executive of PIMS Dr Rizwan Taj was also present on the occasion. Dr Rizwan Taj on the occasion said the hospital was short of space for setting up a Kidney Transplant Centre.
PIMS graduates and young doctors are forced to live in private residences, which are not easy to afford, likewise, the nurses and paramedics face accommodation problems, reasonable emolument and other issues. Dr Rizwan Taj on this occasion asked the senate committee members to visit VIP wards. Senator Fozia Arshad however insisted he should take them to the general wards. “We want to see how our people are being treated in the general wards. We are not concerned about the VIP wards and their state-of-the-art facilities,” she said.
One of the members pointed out the air conditioner in PIMS Children Ward was not working properly while the temperature was quite high. Likewise Rs400 million were spent on the Department of Endoscopy but the hospital did not have the trained force to run it. “We are visiting the PIMS on the suggestion of our member Senator Bahramand Tangi and will return after three months to see what improvements/changes have been made in the light of our suggestions,” said the Chairman of the committee.
