islamabad - The Capital Administration and Development Division has decided to create more than 300 medical posts at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences to meet the shortage of staff at the hospital.

According to the letter written to the Accountant General Pakistan Revenue (AGPR), the CADD has requested to create 322 posts at the PIMS.

The hospital is already facing above 1,000 shortage of staff, however, the CADD has moved an inched forward and decided to hire 322 medical officials in the first step.

The AGPR has been intimated regarding the creation of 322 posts after President of Pakistan sanctioned the posts to reduce the shortage of staff in the hospital.

The hiring will be made in three categories, including Assistant Professors in BS-18, Senior Registrars also in BS-18 and Medical Officers in BS-17.

As per the document, the hospital will get 51 assistant professors, 61 senior registrars and 210 medical officers in different departments.

An official said that the posts will be created in six departments, including main Islamabad Hospital, Children Hospital, Mother and Child Healthcare Centre (MCHC), Burn Centre, Cardiac Centre and Liver Transplant Centre.

An official said that at Islamabad Hospital, 20 posts of Assistant Professor (APs), 23 of senior registrars and 75 of medical officers would be created. At Children Hospital, 10 posts of APS, 10 of senior registrars and 25 of medical officers have been sanctioned.

The MCHC will get 10 APs, 10 senior registrars and 50 medical officers, while Burn Centre will get 06 APs, 10 senior registrars and 25 medical officers.

For the Cardiac Centre of PIMS, 03 APs, 06 senior registrars and 25 medical officers while for the Liver Transplant Centre 02 APs, 02 senior registrars and 25 medical officers will be hired.

The official said that the sanctioning of the posts has been made with the approval of finance ministry and soon the posts will be advertised to start the recruitment process.

He added that out of above 1000 vacant vacancies, 630 are of grade 16-20, 105 of grade 6-15 and 276 of grade 1-5. According to the official, the seats of officers’ cadre will be filled following Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) rules and the process will complete in upcoming months.

He said that the PIMS with above 1,000 beds has only 20 medical officers because the vacant posts were not filled after the promotions of a number of officials.

The official said that each medical officer has to look around 150 patient daily which is against the international medical practice.

Spokesperson of PIMS Dr Waseem Khawaja talking to The Nation said that the PIMS despite sanctioning of above 300 posts will face shortage of staff. “It is only peanuts, as above 1,000 staff is required to meet the shortage,” he added.

He said daily OPD in the PIMS reaches around 10,000 people and it is difficult for the hospital to attend such a huge number patients daily with a less number of staff. “Same is the case with paramedics and nurses who have to attend around 20 patients against the international standards,” he said. He also added that filling of the posts will reduce the workload on doctors and provide little relief to the patients.

Separately, he also said that PIMS administration has released Rs120 million to cardiology department for the smooth administrative functioning.

He said that Rs60 million have been released for the purchase of medicine and Rs60 million for cardiac stents purchasing.

He said that the PIMS administration will implement the decision taken for providing free cardiac treatment and stents to poor patients.

He said that there is no shortage of medicines or any medical equipment in the cardiac centre.

Earlier, Head of Department Cardiac Centre Dr Faridullah Khan has written a letter to the hospital administration regarding shortage of essential drugs for cardiac surgery.  “It is intimated that cardiac Surgery has come to halt from 28.05.2018 due to non-availability of the two medicines, including injection Dormicum and Injection Adrenaline, we have a long waiting list and such stoppage of the cardiac surgery procedures will worsen the situation,” said the letter.

The cardiac centre administration had requested to solve the problem of drugs supply on priority basis.