PIMS asked to ensure availability of medicine

Citizens urge management to ensure equipment is handled by trained staff

ISLAMABAD: Citizens on Monday asked the management at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to ensure provision of medicine and necessary medical equipment for laboratories, dialysis centre, surgical wards and emergency department to facilitate the incoming patients.

According to them, with the proper management system, the hospital administration can further improve its services in these departments with provision of all required equipment and medicine.

They said the hospital staff should also ensure following proper medical SOPs and look after the medical devices in different wards to prevent patients from carrying infections besides regular checking of expiry dates of available medicine.

Naem Raza, a patient said the paramedical staff deployed at testing labs and emergency department needs professional training on the use of medical equipment and medication. He alleged that it was mostly junior staff that remained on duty at the emergency department and other sensitive places while seniors remained busy at their private jobs.

People demand better facilities at PIMS gynaecology ward

Kaleem Mumtaz, 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 refuse to conduct medical tests of even serious patients without a reason. Saleem Tahir, 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 federal health ministry said the government would ensure provision of funds to Pims to run the affairs of the hospital in an efficient manner. 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 the day to day requirements of purchasing medical equipment and medicine.

Government unveils plan to stabilise medicine prices

He said the government had planned to revamp the health infrastructure of the federal capital to convert it into a model health city. He said on the instruction of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the first ever health strategy for Islamabad had been launched.

The prime minister had issued the instructions 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 will be built in coming years in the rural areas of the capital, he added.  

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2019.