When all isn’t well, pray the PM visits your local hospital

Gilani made to wait for hours in Pims on account of faulty x-ray machines.

ISLAMABAD:

A committee was formed to investigate a non-functional x-ray machine in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) following Prime Minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gilani’s visit to the hospital for a checkup on Saturday.

PM Gilani was kept waiting for several hours in the ophthalmology department for his chest and throat x-ray due to non-functional machines. While the machines were being fixed the PM got his eye checked. A few hours later, one of the digital x-ray machines became operative; however it was still giving a technical error due to work overload.

Following the incident, the administration issued instructions to all department heads to immediately report any out-of-order machines.

Sources in the hospital were thankful for the PM’s visit which turned out to be a “blessing” for poor patients who either had to wait until the machines were fixed, or were sent home due to non-functional machinery.

“There are many new machines which are not functioning properly but their repair has always been ignored,” said a hospital source.

There are currently six x-ray machines in the radiology department; all of them are out of order. A few years ago, former Federal Minister for Health Mir Ijaz Hussain Jhakrani paid a surprise visit to the department and suspended a few lower staff members due to non-functioning machines.

Mehmood Jamal, Pims Executive Director, was not immediately available for a comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2011.