Better handling: Cantt hospital upgrading emergency dept

Will be equipped to treat five cases simultaneously with a 22-bed capacity

RAWALPINDI: Cantonment General Hospital (CGH) is all set to open its accident and emergency department to better handle emergency cases from central locations in the garrison city.

Hospital in-charge Brig (retd) Dr Athar Naeem told The Express Tribune that CGH’s location makes it easier for emergency cases to reach there first. “Although the nearby Combined Military Hospital offers best services to patients, in case of an emergency entering the hospital is a hassle because of extensive security barriers,” he said.

The work on the new department started in April and is expected to end in the next two weeks, after which the department will be equipped to treat five emergency cases at a time with a capacity of 22 beds, Naeem explained, saying that currently the hospital has 119 admitted patients; however, on average it receives 1,000 to 1,200 patients daily.



Speaking of new allotments, the in-charge said posts of one surgeon, four doctors, and eight nurses have been sanctioned and allotted to the hospital.

“The emergency department surgeon, who will be in-charge of the department, has been sent to the US for a training session on tactical life saving skills and first responder course under the ‘Pak-US medical engagement programme’. Nurses and doctors have also been trained to treat emergency cases,” he added.

Faulty ultrasound machine

Naeem also informed that CGH has two ultrasound machines out of which one is currently non-functional.

Expressing discontentment over Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Rules, he said that we need to replace the machine as soon as possible but our new purchases are yet to be approved by the authority.

In cases like ours, PPRA should offer a relaxation for its procedures since a hospital cannot wait for a month just to get the quotations approved, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2015.