Healthcare facilities: ‘90% of PIC patients receive free treatment’

The hospital is short of cardiac surgeons, says PIC chief executive.

LAHORE:

The Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) is providing quality healthcare facilities to cardiac patients despite limited resources, PIC Chief Executive Bilal Zakariya said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference at the PIC, he said on average 200,000 patients received treatment at the hospital annually even though “there were only 347 beds at the institute.”

“The budget allocation for purchase of medicines during 2012-13 was Rs525 million… this has been increased up to Rs574 million for 2013-14 by the government,” he said.

Zakariya said 90 per cent of the patients were treated for free.

“They are not even charged for operations… only 10 per cent patients and general users pay.”

He denied allegations of poor patients not being entertained at the hospital. “The Punjab Institute of Cardiology consultants practice privately only in the evenings… Private patients are not examined during the day.”



Zakriya said the hospital was short of cardiac surgeons.

“The Health Department has been asked to post more surgeons so that two new operation theatres can function.”

Medical Superintendent Obaida Nighat said PIC’s performance was improving by the day.

She said 31,000 echo cadiography tests, 5,000 ETT, 6,000 nuclear medicines tests, 2,000 CT angiography and 16,000 angiography tests were conducted at the PIC last year. “In addition, 2,000 open heart surgeries were also conducted.”

Prof Abdul Waheed said the surgeons had to work six-days-a-week because of a shortage of surgeons.

“The work-load is increasing even though they work till late in the evenings.” In reply to a question, Waheed said the income generated from private practice was being distributed among doctors and other staff according to the rules and regulations.

“Forty-five per cent of private income goes to the hospital and is spent on treatment and welfare of the patients,” he said.

The PIC Finance Director also spoke on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2014.