ISLAMABAD:
Faced with a shortage of funds and staff, the capital’s two leading public hospitals are finding it difficult to cater to patients’ needs.
The executive directors (ED) of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and Polyclinic Hospital sought the lifting of a ban on fresh recruitments while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) on Saturday.
Pims ED Prof. Mehmood Jamal and Polyclinic ED Dr Shaukat Kiyani said the number of patients visiting the hospitals is rising and it has become difficult for them to cater to their needs within the available resources.
Currently there are 1,800 employees in Pims, which includes consultants, specialists, medical and non-medical officers, nurses and paramedics, whereas over 4,000 patients visit the outpatient departments every day. According to Pims ED, the hospital needs an additional staff of 400.
Polyclinic, too, needs to induct about 200 employees to the provision of proper healthcare facilities to the patients who visit the hospital, said the Polyclinic ED.
The committee members expressed their concern over the shortage of medicines, poor hygiene, non-functional equipment, substandard laboratory tests and long waiting lists of patients for surgery in government hospitals.
Committee chairman Jamshed Dasti recommended that the ban on recruitments be lifted.
According to an official in the Pims accounts department, the hospital has received only half the budget it requested for salaries and bills this year.
The official said that the monthly bill alone had increased from Rs13 million last year to Rs26 million this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2012.
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