Who’s got the power?: Govt weighing proposal to put Capital Hospital under CAD control

Move worries low-cadre CDA staffers who get free treatment there.

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government is weighing a proposal to move the Capital Hospital under the administrative control of the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development (CAD).

“The federal government has formed a committee to weigh up the pros and cons of the proposal,” Capital Development Authority Spokesperson Naeem Rauf said when asked about the proposal which has created a wave of panic among low-cadre CDA employees who get free-of-cost treatment at the hospital.

Meanwhile, CAD Secretary Shaigan Sharif Malik denied knowledge of any such move, saying the CDA was an autonomous body and the Capital Hospital belonged to it.

There are a total of 645 sanctioned posts in Capital Hospital, while the doctors to bed ratio stands at 1:4, the nurse to bed ratio at 1:3, and sanitary worker to bed ratio at 1:5.

The Capital Hospital also runs the CDA Cares Ambulance Service which has seven centres across the capital, equipped with 15 emergency vehicles and 184 employees.

Meanwhile, CDA officials on Friday decided to incorporate the CDA Cares Ambulance Service into the CDA Emergency and Disaster Management (EDM) Directorate. “With this incorporation, the authority will be in a position to efficiently respond to emergency situations across the capital,” said a CDA senior official.

The official said the decision has been taken to improve the performance of the EDM Directorate and it had nothing to do with the under-consideration proposal.

The 60-bed hospital, which opened in March 1981, started functioning with medical and pediatric wards, a coronary care unit, X-Ray department, pathology laboratory, dental clinic, dermatology department and a mother and child health centre.

In September 1992, the hospital’s surgical block started functioning with a department of general surgery, orthopaedics, urology, ophthalmology, nephrology with six dialysis units, dermatology, psychiatry, gynaecology and obstetrics, neonatology, eye and ENT, post-operative intensive care and accident and emergency department. With this addition, the 60-bed facility was turned into a full-fledged 280-bed hospital. In 1999, a new block to house outpatients and laboratory was also inaugurated.

The Capital Hospital provides free of cost treatment to the CDA employees, their families and dependent parents. The hospital also treats the general public. Consultation to outpatients and provision of emergency treatment is also free of cost. However, non-entitled patients are charged for advanced and inpatient treatment.

The hospital has also the distinction of introducing nuclear cardiology to Pakistan in 1985. Other cardiac diagnostic facilities available in the hospital include treadmill exercise, ECG testing, 24 hours ambulatory ECG monitoring and echocardiography.

An official told The Express Tribune that if the hospital goes under the administrative control of CAD, it would be put on the CDA’s panel of hospitals so that it continues to provide free treatment to CDA employees.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2013.