PIMS asking OPD patients to visit after three to four months for a simple ultrasound test
Pakistan’s premiere healthcare facility, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has failed miserably to come up to the expectations of the patients who visit the hospital’s OPD daily in hundreds and thousands but almost half of them return unattended and un-examined.
At the Radiology department, for instance, OPD patients come for ultrasound, X-ray, C.
T Scan etc and a majority of them arrive from not only the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi but also from Mansehra, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad and other parts of the KP and AJK.
They arrive with the expectation of a proper examination and detailed checkup.
However, all their expectation fall flat on the ground when they are told to visit after three or four months because of overwhelming number of patients.
Even those who have the valid date are made to wait for three to four hours daily for a simple ultrasound or X-ray.
There are only three ultrasound machines to cater to this overwhelming number of patients, said a sonologist working in the Radiology department.
Of these three machines too, one remains dysfunctional because of the absence of a staff member.
She was right in complaining as on Saturday alone, more than 1100 patients were issued tokens for ultrasound to be done on three machines.
A patient, Akram, told this scribe that he had come from Mirpur Azad Kashmir but when he reached the main counter, he was given a date for August, 2025 for ultrasound and asked to visit after almost two-and-a-half months.
“I requested them to give me this day’s date as I cannot return empty handed.
I have to consult my surgeon for my kidney treatment but they were not ready to listen,” said Akram who was sitting there waiting for some miracle.
“It is beyond imagination to see only three ultrasound machines at this premiere healthcare facility of the federal capital,” said RehanaBibi who had brought her mother for ultrasound and was waiting for last four hours.
How costly they maybe and why the PIMS administration doesn’t bring new machines?
Is this because of lack of funds?
she wondered.
If this is the state of affairs at Islamabad’s premiere healthcare facility what will be happening in the rest of the hospitals in the federal areas, she further asked.
Khalid, another man waiting for the ultrasound said Mustafa Kamal, Minister for National Health Services is though busy in introducing tele-medicines and other innovate initiatives in the country yet he should also see what is happening in realm of basic issues like smooth checkup at the OPD, issuance of medicines at government pharmacy, ultrasound, C.
T Scan and other tests etc.
