Country’s largest referral hospital in a shambles

The hospital is missing 600 staff members, lacking beds and medical equipment.

ISLAMABAD:

Rapid increase in the capital city’s population, coupled with influx of patients from allover the country and adjacent areas, has left the country’s largest referral hospital in a shambles, unable to meet the increasing demand for healthcare.

Established in 1985, the hospital initially entertained only referred cases. However, with the passage of time, it has turned into a centre which deals with 70 per cent of emergencies in the city. Currently all the beds at the hospital are occupied and patients can be seen lying on the ground and getting treatment on stretchers.

As one enters the institute, the dismal situation and miserable condition of patients leaves one wondering about the lack of planning to improve services and failure to build other health centres in the city. At the same time, the hospital is lacking nearly 600 staff members, including doctors, consultants and lower staff who have not be hired due to a ban on recruitment by the government.

Due to shortage of space, a large number of patients visiting the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) are forced to occupy the open space in front of the main entrance and the hallway leading to the emergency department, where they wait for several hours before they can see a doctor, especially during night time.

“There is a strong need to improve services to ensure provision of healthcare to residents,” said Agha Sultan, who was accompanying a patient at the emergency department. He suggested building dispensaries in adjoining areas of Islamabad to reduce the burden of patients at Pims.

Kashif Nawaz, who had brought his brother to the emergency department, said they couldn’t see any doctor despite waiting for over one hour.

Pims Spokesperson Dr Wasim Khawaja admitted that the hospital didn’t have sufficient space and facilities to accommodate the increasing number of patients. This, he said, was due to the fact the hospital was primarily established for referred cases but was facilitating patients coming from as far as Kashmir and Hazara Division.

According to the spokesperson, the hospital currently deals with around 4,000 patients at the outpatient department on a daily basis. “We have 1,000 beds which are insufficient to meet the requirements due to which not only the patients but the staff members also face trouble,” he commented. The solution, according to him, is to expand the hospital’s services and divert the load of patients by establishing more facilities.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2012.