Zubair Qureshi
Secretary Ministry of National Health Services Regulations & Coordination (NHSR&C), Iftikhar Ali Shallwani, paid a surprise visit to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and directed the hospital admin to improve standards and prioritise quick relief for patients.
He visited various departments and wards of the hospital and issued directions to take urgent measures to cope with the rising number of patients.
He also imposed a ban on extended leaves for doctors and emphasized the importance of ensuring the highest standards of healthcare delivery and availability of doctors and medicine within hospitals.
Health secretary MrShallwani also chaired a meeting concerning the administrative, financial matters, and the performance assessment of PIMS.
The meeting was attended by the officials from M/o NHSR&C and PIMS.
The secretary was briefed by PIMS officials on the pressing issue of human resource shortages affecting the performance of the hospital.
It was also brought to his notice that the problem was exacerbated by the overwhelming patient load from not only Islamabad but from other regions across the country. In response, Iftikhar Ali Shallwani directed the administration of PIMS to accelerate the recruitment process for personnel to address the growing patient influx effectively.
Furthermore, the secretary was apprised that 107 vacancies for professors, associate professors, and assistant professors had already been advertised.
Moreover 405 positions for nurses and medical officers will also be fulfilled.
The Secretary expressed his concerns regarding disciplinary matters related to doctors. He said that private practice of doctors employed by the government should be discouraged.
He underscored the importance of curbing overseas travel on sponsored visits for doctors. He said that the doctors should provide affidavits confirming that any foreign visits were personally sponsored.
This would ensure accountability and dedication of doctors to their professional duties, he added.
Iftikhar Ali Shallwani instructed the PIMS administration to ensure efficient healthcare provision and maintain professional conduct within the medical fraternity.
He emphasized the necessity of rigorously enforcing disciplinary measures within the hospital’s workforce. He instructed the PIMS administration to submit a comprehensive report detailing actions taken against employees found to be in breach of disciplinary protocols.
