Polyclinic starts making face masks, sanitizer

Hospital administration takes initiative due to shortage of supplies

ISLAMABAD: In wake of a shortage of hand sanitisers and facemasks in the market and the proliferation of substandard sanitizers which are being sold at exorbitant prices, a tertiary care hospital in the federal capital has decided to step up and make its own protective equipment.

It has also hired tailors to manufacture facemasks to help combat the threat from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) so that they can become self-reliant.

The pharmacy department at the Federal Government (Polyclinic) Hospital has started making its own sanitizer liquid to ensure a steady supply of the vital disinfectant in the hospital.

“We have started preparing masks at the hospital owing to rising prices and shortage in the market,” said Polyclinic Pharmacy Department in-charge Dr Amna

She added that the hospital administration has hired the services of three tailors who are work in three shifts to make as many as 1,500 masks daily. These masks are then distributed amongst the staff, visitors and even to patients to ensure maximum safety against the contagion.

“We have become self-reliant in these two products, which are in high demand owing to the COVID-19 outbreak,” Dr Amna said. Regarding the in-house sanitiser liquid, she said, they are implementing all necessary guidelines, formula as well as maintaining standards issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The in-charge said that the safety of staff and patients was their priority, asserting that they are trying to do their best in every possible way.

“Prevention is the only cure against the coronavirus,” she reiterated.

PIMS OPD closed

The Outpatient Department (OPD) at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has been shut down, announced Pims Executive Director (ED) Dr Anser Maxood on Tuesday.

Addressing a news conference, Dr Maxood said that the measure has been taken to avoid a large influx of patients at the healthcare facility and minimise chances of the virus spreading in the federal capital.

The Pims executive director explained that since thousands of patients visit the OPDs daily, the gathering of so many people in one place during a pandemic was dangerous.

“The sick can visit the emergency department for check-ups and consultation as it is equipped with the requisite facilities,” he said.

He further asserted that the only hospital in the federal capital with an isolation facility for COVID-19 had sufficient stock of face masks while doctors closely monitoring suspected and infected patients had been provided with personal protection equipment (PPE), including special kits.

With the tally of patients going up in the twin cities, Dr Maxood further announced the establishment of another 29-bed isolation ward at Pims.

“It will be operative in the next 15 days,” he said.

Asked about the number of COVID-19 patients at Pims, Dr Maxood said that the hospital had received around 1,200 suspected coronavirus patients. Of these, they had tested samples of 270 patients and results for 24 came back as positive.

Pims spokesperson Dr Waseem Khawaja told the media that some nine COVID-19 patients were under treatment at Pims while two of them were in critical condition and were on ventilators. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2020.