Better late than never: Once gathering dust, health tower may finally rise
Construction to begin by year end; over five-year delay caused 50% cost escalation.
ISLAMABAD:
The new chief of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has shaken off dust that had accumulated on the institute’s much-trumpeted medical tower file and the project is finally back online.
However, during its five-year dormancy, costs have escalated by 50 per cent. “Construction work would begin by December,” said Prof. Riaz Ahmad Warraich, the newly appointed executive director of the largest referral hospital of the country.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Prof. Warraich said the project was conceived in 2007 to promote health tourism. He said a separate building would be constructed within the premises of Pims to ease growing burden on the hospital.
In next 10 years the hospital will not be able to cope with the load of the patients. The hospital since its opening in 1985 is catering to over 6,000 patients in the out-patient department which may double in next 10 years with the increase in population.
The 16-storey multi-billion-rupee tower will have 625 beds and 12 operation theatres and provide modern medical facilities under one roof.
It is expected that 90 per cent of the patients would fly over from the Middle East and the remaining 10 per cent would be referred from Pims.
The tower will be constructed on public-private partnership basis and will be completed at an estimated cost of about Rs10 billion, out of which 85 per cent of the amount will be provided by a Chinese government and the rest will be provided by the Pakistan government.
Prof. Warraich said the tower’s foundation stone was laid in 2007 and it was supposed to be completed in three years at a cost was Rs6 billion. Nespak was hired for consultancy services. For this service around Rs5.043 million were paid to Nespak but the project failed to take off and the money went down the drain, he added.
It is hoped that the money generated by services provided in the medical tower will enable Pims to offer free-of-cost treatment to the poor, said the ED.
Expansion, improvement of PIMS
Talking about other issues, Prof Warraich, who has served in the hospital between 1990 and 1996, said a central surveillance room has been established which will be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To improve communication among doctors and to have their timely response, about 300 cellular phones will be provided to them which will be able to receive only restricted calls and messages from the hospital.
Measures to enhance security in the hospital include setting up a checkpoint at the main gate, a walkthrough gate in front of the casualty department and 65 closed-circuit television cameras in various wards.
The number of security guards will be increased to 178 from 78 who will be trained by the police. A red line will be painted in Pims beyond which armed guards from outside will not be allowed.
Steps taken to increase patient comfort include installation of jammers in high-dependency areas and special corners designated for attendants to attend phone calls. A patient drop bay will be created where attendants will drop off emergency patients who will be taken by the Pims staff to the emergency ward. A new car park for 1,000 vehicles has been built in place of the previous one which has been demolished.
Talking about other delayed projects, he said the cardiac centre would be inaugurated after Eidul Azha and work on the Liver Transplant Centre would begin immediately after. “A senior surgeon from Sheikh Zayed Hospital Lahore, Dr Tariq Bangash will be joining Pims’ Liver Transplant Centre.” Replying to a question, he said Pims has not yet received approval for a medical and dental college, but the process has been initiated.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2012.
The new chief of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has shaken off dust that had accumulated on the institute’s much-trumpeted medical tower file and the project is finally back online.
However, during its five-year dormancy, costs have escalated by 50 per cent. “Construction work would begin by December,” said Prof. Riaz Ahmad Warraich, the newly appointed executive director of the largest referral hospital of the country.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Prof. Warraich said the project was conceived in 2007 to promote health tourism. He said a separate building would be constructed within the premises of Pims to ease growing burden on the hospital.
In next 10 years the hospital will not be able to cope with the load of the patients. The hospital since its opening in 1985 is catering to over 6,000 patients in the out-patient department which may double in next 10 years with the increase in population.
The 16-storey multi-billion-rupee tower will have 625 beds and 12 operation theatres and provide modern medical facilities under one roof.
It is expected that 90 per cent of the patients would fly over from the Middle East and the remaining 10 per cent would be referred from Pims.
The tower will be constructed on public-private partnership basis and will be completed at an estimated cost of about Rs10 billion, out of which 85 per cent of the amount will be provided by a Chinese government and the rest will be provided by the Pakistan government.
Prof. Warraich said the tower’s foundation stone was laid in 2007 and it was supposed to be completed in three years at a cost was Rs6 billion. Nespak was hired for consultancy services. For this service around Rs5.043 million were paid to Nespak but the project failed to take off and the money went down the drain, he added.
It is hoped that the money generated by services provided in the medical tower will enable Pims to offer free-of-cost treatment to the poor, said the ED.
Expansion, improvement of PIMS
Talking about other issues, Prof Warraich, who has served in the hospital between 1990 and 1996, said a central surveillance room has been established which will be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To improve communication among doctors and to have their timely response, about 300 cellular phones will be provided to them which will be able to receive only restricted calls and messages from the hospital.
Measures to enhance security in the hospital include setting up a checkpoint at the main gate, a walkthrough gate in front of the casualty department and 65 closed-circuit television cameras in various wards.
The number of security guards will be increased to 178 from 78 who will be trained by the police. A red line will be painted in Pims beyond which armed guards from outside will not be allowed.
Steps taken to increase patient comfort include installation of jammers in high-dependency areas and special corners designated for attendants to attend phone calls. A patient drop bay will be created where attendants will drop off emergency patients who will be taken by the Pims staff to the emergency ward. A new car park for 1,000 vehicles has been built in place of the previous one which has been demolished.
Talking about other delayed projects, he said the cardiac centre would be inaugurated after Eidul Azha and work on the Liver Transplant Centre would begin immediately after. “A senior surgeon from Sheikh Zayed Hospital Lahore, Dr Tariq Bangash will be joining Pims’ Liver Transplant Centre.” Replying to a question, he said Pims has not yet received approval for a medical and dental college, but the process has been initiated.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2012.