Govt subsidy? At PIMS, institution-based practice commences today

Admin claims paid treatment experiment will lead to better medical facilities

ISLAMABAD: Institution-based practice will start at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) from Thursday (today), with senior professors and doctors available for treating paid patients and emergency cases in the evening.

While addressing a press conference here on Friday, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU) Vice-Chancellor Dr Javed Akram said that under the new arrangement, the best medical, surgical and diagnostic treatment facilities would be made available at the hospital.

Dr Akram said that senior consultants, professors, associate professors and assistant professors will be available from 3pm to 10pm to treat outpatients and monitor all diagnostic and medical facilities given to patients in various departments including medicine, surgery, gynaecology, cardiology, burns and paediatrics.

He said that the PIMS courtesy centre will have a registration counter for the institution-based practice (IBP) and will remain open till 10pm for private patients. PIMS OPD Director Dr Mutahir Shah will look after IBP affairs.

“Senior doctors are unavailable in public hospitals after 2pm as they focus on their private practices, which are their main source of earnings,” Dr Akram said.

He said that senior professors and doctors supported the idea and approval was also taken from the Capital Administration and Development and syndicate members to start the programme.

While talking about the fee structure, Dr Akram said that an upper limit of Rs2,000 has been set and no one would be able to charge more than that, while doctors will be free their own minimum charges.

Private patients would initially not be given access to inpatient facilities. Dr Akram said test facilities would be available at the hospital for 25 per cent less than the open market cost.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th,  2016.