Islamabad - A new emergency block of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) was finally inaugurated on Friday observing pin drop silence – the new block will provide basic first aid facility to 60 per cent patients visiting the hospital, an official said.
Minister of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) inaugurated the new block which was constructed nine months before. According to information released by the ministry, around 1000 patients would be provided basic emergency facilities in newly inaugurated block. X-Ray, ultrasound, ECG some other basic medical equipment and 16 beds have been provided initially to new emergency. Facilities of asthma and seasonal allergy have been also provided in new block.
The Minister CADD Tariq Fazal Chaudhry as per released statement said that new emergency has been established for the facilities of patients visiting PIMS, which is already facing patients load from all over the country.
The minister also said that staff shortage was the issue in inaugurating the new emergency and as for now the new block will be run with the existing staff.
“Administrative procedures are underway for new staff hiring,” he said. Talking to The Nation an official from CADD said that inauguration was delayed due to shortage of staff and some construction problems of the building.
“Now the staff has been arranged for initial start and building’s construction faults have been also fixed,” he said. Official said that the silent inauguration of new emergency was not designed but administration had wanted to give a start to newly established block for the facility of patients.
Meanwhile, Administrator PIMS Dr Altaf Hussain talking to The Nation said that new emergency is a ‘test run’ case at this stage which will also point out the deficiencies in new emergency.
“It will work as basic emergency to reduce the burden on main emergency, while serious patients will be shifted to main emergency,” he said. Dr Altaf said that it will nearly share 50 per cent load of main emergency.
He also stated that though shortage of staff was an issue in inauguration of the emergency but on the other side load of patients on main emergency was also a problem.
“We try to balance the situation,” he said.
Commenting on the surprise inauguration of new block, Administrator PIMS said that “It couldn’t be described as proper opening but, we wanted to take a slow start at this stage.”
He said senior most doctors and nurses have been engaged to run new emergency on pilot basis that will help and accommodate new staff which will be hired soon. Denying the impression that new emergency will be not functional soon he said, emergency is fully functional and on first day more than 85 patients were treated. For emergency block around 180 new posts have been announced and after the final approval, process of hiring will begin. Building and equipment of new emergency was provided by private sector.
rahul basharat