VIP patients at PIMS: Cardiac patients made to wait for hours

Heightened security for Nawaz, operation on hospital’s top executive leaves little room for ordinary patients

ISLAMABAD: With a former prime minister and a senior official admitted to the largest tertiary care hospital in the federal capital, cardiac patients there had to suffer from another national ailment — VIP protocol.

Patients at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) were made to wait for hours on end for their scheduled check-ups by consultants on Tuesday as a senior official was pushed to the top of the queue on the pretext of entertaining VIPs as per protocol requirement.

In the cardiac centre, where the former premier Nawaz Sharif was admitted until late Tuesday, regular patients had to wait for hours for their scheduled check-ups by consultants.

Pims Deputy Executive Director Dr Ejaz Qadeer, who was previously heading the medical board examining Nawaz, was also admitted to the same centre for heart issues.

Dr Muhammad Naeem Malik, heads the cardiac centre at Pims, was deputed for duty in the outpatient department on Tuesday. But critical patients kept waiting for him to tend to them.

Patients who required admissions or discharge, required operations, or in other critical condition were referred to consultants to take critical decisions.

Officials at the hospital claimed that most of the doctors were busy installing a pacemaker in Dr Qadeer while Dr Malik ensured that protocol was implemented.

Patients waiting for hours at the hospital asked who was the definitive authority at the hospital they could approach to lodge a complaint when the head of the centre was missing.

They were of the view that at least the head of the centre must take responsibility and that he should not take patients for granted.

Naseer Khan, a patient who had travelled for two-and-a-half hours to reach the city, said that he had waited for three hours hoping that a consultant or doctor would come and diagnose him. But in the end, he t was disappointed.

“They should have told the patients to go if no one was available to check them,” Naseer complained.

With patients growing restless and large number gathering in the waiting rooms, the hospital administration finally sent a junior doctor to resolve their issues.

A heavy contingent of police was deployed at the hospital since last week after Nawaz was admitted there.

Patients visiting the cardiac centre or the private ward adjacent to it were subject to strict checks and even rigorous questioning by security officials before being allowed inside.

The hurdles created by security officials in accessing the health facility had irritated patients.

Even in main emergency wards, guards deputed at the door asked patients the purpose of their visit.

However, with the former premier returning to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Tuesday evening, the extra contingents of police returned to the police lines and eased access to the hospital.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2018.