Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Islamabad. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD: Citizens on Wednesday urged the management at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) to ensure deployment of trained staff to safely run the medical equipment and machines at various sections of the hospital.
According to them, the hospital staff should ensure following proper medical SOPs and look after the medical devices at different wards to prevent patients from carrying infections. They said that the hospital should also ensure provision of necessary medical equipment to testing laboratories, dialysis ward and emergency department to facilitate the incoming patients.
They added that with a proper management system, the hospital administration could further improve its services in these departments. Aamir Naseem, a patient said paramedical staff deployed at testing labs and emergency department needed professional training on the use of medical equipment. He alleged that Pims mostly appointed junior staff at emergency department and other sensitive places, mostly junior staff remained on duties while seniors remained busy at their private jobs.
Ali Imran, an attendant said at least one senior technician or concerned staff member should accompany juniors as they did not have adequate experience, due to which patients have to turn to private hospitals for medical tests. He added that sometimes senior technicians or device operators refused to conduct medical tests of even serious patients without a reason.
Saqib Kaleem, another patient suggested that there should be frequent surprise visits from the concerned ministry's officials to monitor the situation and check the attitude of the deployed staff. He said there should be fresh training courses for technicians or paramedical staff to improve their skills.
When contacted, an official of the Ministry of National Health Services said the government would ensure provision of funds to Pims to run the affairs of the hospital in an efficient manner and for training of staff responsible to run the medical equipment.
He said several new projects had been started in the hospital by the present government to facilitate the patients, adding that the ministry would manage the funds of the hospital from different resources to fulfill day-to-day requirements of purchasing medical equipment.
He said the government had planned to revamp health infrastructure of the federal capital to convert it into a model health city. The Prime Minister had issued the instruction that each union council of Islamabad should have at least one health facility and for this two more rural health centers and nine basic health units would be built in the coming years in the rural areas of the capital, he added.
Pollen treatment
Pims has started providing medical assistance to pollen allergy patients in its emergency ward and outpatient department (OPD) of Pulmonology Department. Around 50 patients visited Pims emergency for oxygen and nebulisation during the last 24 hours, said Pims spokesman Dr Wasim Khawaja on Wednesday.
Dr Khawaja added that patients with mild conditions visit the Pulmonology Department while serious patients visit the emergency ward. He informed that during the current month, so far 500 pollen allergy patients visited the hospital with different complications.
He informed that extra staff has been deputed in the emergency ward to treat pollen allergy patients. He said that 50 nebulisation machines have been installed to facilitate incoming patients.
Special arrangements have been made to admit serious patients at the Pulmonology Department of the hospital like availability of ventilators for serious patients.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2019.
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