Polyclinic postpones scheduled surgeries, reduces OPD timing
Zubair Qureshi
The federal capital is in the grip of the third wave of Covid-19, and the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad’s premiere health facility has expressed its inability to cope with the situation that is growing worse with every passing day.
Islamabad on Saturday reported 463 new cases of Covid-19 and five deaths in a period of last twenty-four hours taking the overall tally of cases to 72,613 and deaths 657 in the city.
The spike in daily arrival of new patients of Covid-19, not only from within the city but also from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the Azad Jammu & Kashmir, is something that PIMS has not been able to cope with and for that reason the hospital has written to the government to make alternative arrangements to accommodate these incoming patients of Covid-19.
A senior official of the PIMS has requested the Dean of the hospital to convey to the Ministry of the National Health Services Regulation & Coordination (NHSRC) that the hospital is under enormous pressure and cannot handle any more patients any longer.
Joint Executive Director of the hospital Dr Minhaj-us- Siraj in a letter to the Dean of the hospital has informed that due to heavy load of Covid-19 patients in the indoor and emergency, oxygen pressure has increased manifold and elective/planned surgeries are postponed indefinitely.
“It is stated that PIMS/FMTI has reached its maximum capacity to admit and treat the Covid-19 patients and scored of Covid patients are waiting in the Emergency Room occupying oxygen points,” writes the PIMS JED to Dean of the hospital.
In the letter, he further requests him to approach the Ministry of NHSRC “to strengthen/ramp-up the other facilities in the Capital to cater for patients who have been suffering from Covid-19.”
In Polyclinic (Federal Government Services Hospital) too, the situation is grim and the hospital has postponed scheduled surgeries.
We have postponed the planned surgeries and will conduct only emergency surgeries, said a spokesperson of the hospital.
At present, we have all the ventilators reserved for Covid-19 occupied while oxygen consumption of the hospital has increased three to four times.
Of our 37 beds, 27 have been occupied by Covid-19 and the hospital has taken measures to cope with the worsening situation, said the spokesperson further.
We have also reduced the timings for the Outpatient Departments (OPDs) as earlier it was from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. but now we have changed it to 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
According to the District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia the city’s positivity rate is hovering at 8-13 percent from last one week.
The number of hospitalizations have increased, he said urging the people to follow SOPs, and try to understand the gravity of the situation and not to step out if it is unnecessary.
