Patients’ woes: Two echo machines go out of order at PIMS

Most patients visiting OPD are put on waiting lists or sent back.

ISLAMABAD: Patients visiting the cardiology department at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) are facing immense problems as two echocardiogram machines at the outpatient department (OPD) are out-of-order.

Of the three echo machines at the Pims, two have not been functioning for the last two months, a senior administration official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity.

Around 20 to 30 tests are performed every day on the functional machine, while the rest of patients are put on waiting lists or sent back, said the official.

“Due to the shortage of machines, around 15 to 20 patients are either sent home or referred to private hospitals on a daily basis,” said the official.

Pims is the only public sector hospital in the capital offering the facility, which costs around Rs2,500 to Rs3,000 at private hospitals and labs, he said.



“Recently, two senior government officials visited Pims to get this test but even they were refused due to the shortage of machines,” said the official.

“We hope that these two senior officials will bring the issue to the notice of the ‘people in charge’, as they have not been paying any heed to the administration’s request to fix them,” said the official.

Umar Ali, 58, has been visiting the hospital for the days, hoping to get the test done, but every time he was asked to wait.

Ali, a resident of Farash Town, said that he spend Rs200 to travel to the hospital and must go back without getting tested.

“In this country, there is no relief for the poor. I have had pain in the left side of my chest for the last six months and the doctor has suggested me the test to diagnose the issue but I have not been able to get it done,” said Ali.

Ali, who works as a security guard, said that he is also the sole breadwinner of his six-member family. “It is impossible for me to go to private hospitals to get treatment as my monthly income is Rs10, 000.”

Pims Spokesperson Dr Ayesha Ishani said that the OPD had three machines,, one of which is not in use, and another has been sent for repair and maintenance, leaving only one in working order.

“Pims has gotten one new machine, but it has not been installed yet,” she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2014.