Govt should set up a body along the lines of ombudsman specifically for monitoring services of medical institutions.
ISLAMABAD: On June 6, I visited the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for routine medical tests/investigations on the advice of my cardiologist. I then went back to PIMS after three weeks to collect my reports. Despite the passage of three weeks, there was no report ready — apparently because my blood sample was still lying in the refrigerator and had yet to be processed. This is how retired civil servants and senior citizens are treated in hospitals in this country. I was advised to submit another blood sample and when I protested, they said they would carry out tests on the one that they already had. I would request the head of PIMS to improve the working of the facility, which is used by thousands of people.
I would suggest that the government set up a body along the lines of ombudsman but for specifically medical institutions to monitor the quality of their services. The residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi want better medical facilities, with or without the Metro Bus.
Asghar Mahmood
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2014.
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