Organ transplants coming to Pindi

The garrison city is set to become hub for advanced medical facilities

RAWALPINDI:

A modern facilitation centre will soon be established at Benazir Bhutto General Hospital (BBH) Rawalpindi, as formal approval has been granted. Kidney transplants are set to begin in Rawalpindi by the end of March. Meanwhile, a newly constructed hall at Benazir Bhutto Hospital was formally inaugurated on Monday.

Modern facilitation centres have already been set up at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC). An automated system has been introduced in hospitals across Punjab and authorities claim that the culture of recommendations and protocol will be eliminated within six months.

At RIC, construction of a state-of-the-art Facilitation Centre and a new OPD block will be completed during the current fiscal year. More than 4,000 patients are receiving treatment daily at the OPD. A new Urology Department has been established, while the ENT OPD block has been renovated on modern lines. A new emergency block equipped with advanced facilities has also been provided to ensure equal treatment for all patients. Additionally, a home delivery system for medicines has been launched to facilitate the public.

Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi and Rawalpindi Medical University Vice Chancellor Dr Umar inaugurated the new hall and facilities.

Officials also announced that liver transplant services will soon be introduced, while modern ventilators, MRI machines and modular operation theatres have been installed across Punjab. Other hospitals will be upgraded on the model of Holy Family Hospital.

Hanif Abbasi further stated that preparations have begun for a state-of-the-art Children's Hospital in Rawalpindi, which will provide free treatment for newborns, children of all ages and maternity patients.

Speaking to the media at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, the minister said his politics had matured over time, adding that there is no final word in politics and that today's rivals can become tomorrow's allies. He remarked that if the PPP and PML-N could unite in a single day, there was no reason PTI could not be given an opportunity. He stressed that there is no room for abuse or chaos in politics and that anyone unable to control their language, even at the age of 74, should refrain from political life.