Citizens have demanded of the authorities concerned for immediate deployment of staff and the opening of the newly built emergency block at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to address the sufferings of patients.
According to them, all work has been completed and the inauguration of the emergency block was scheduled by the mid of last month, but it has not yet been opened.
They said that due to limited beds and inadequate services at the old emergency unit, a large number of patients, coming from far-flung areas, were facing hardships on a daily basis.
They said that only limited beds were available in wards situated in the old emergency unit, where not only the staff was limited but there was an acute shortage of medicines as well.
They also asked to take notice of the frequent absence of senior doctors and non-observance of duty-roster by medical and non-medical staff at the emergency unit.
Amin Aslam, a patient, said due to the non-professional attitude of the staff at the existing emergency, patients face several hardships, particularly those in critical condition.
Sometimes patients at the emergency department, he said, needed an immediate response from expert doctors, but only general physicians were found there and the specialist doctors could not reach the ward on time.
He said the authorities concerned should immediately start working on the new emergency block with more staff in order to provide timely and properly medical care to the patients.
Another patient, Ali Abbas, demanded to deploy sufficient staff, including medical and paramedical staff, at the new emergency block for delivery of better services to the patients.
He said keeping in view the serious nature of the section, only well trained medical and non-medical staff, who knew the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and all other procedures, should be assigned at PIMS emergency block.
Senior medical practitioner Dr Wasim Khawaja said unlike medical practices abroad, where one doctor examines five to seven patients in a day, here at PIMS each doctor has to examine several patients daily at the emergency.
He said a sufficient number of doctors perform duties in the hospital’s emergency.
He said that due to heavy load at OPD in daytime, several patients with normal problems come to emergency to get a consultation from the doctors.
He said the hospital management has taken several steps to provide the best medical care to the patients.
A team of doctors remain in the emergency ward of the hospital round the clock to provide proper medical cover to incoming patients, he added.
When contacted, an official of the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division (CAAD) said that the ministry would soon inaugurate newly constructed emergency block of the hospital.
He said that on the direction of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the ministry was working efficiently to improve the health care delivery system in the hospitals.
He said that people will find improvements during the tenure of the present government in hospitals of federal capital as all available resources were being utilised to ensure the provision of best services at hospitals.
He said the ministry was paying special attention to satisfy the incoming patients to hospitals and the prime minister has promised to provide all required resources for making improvements in hospitals.
He said that any negligence in performing duties by doctors, administration and other staff in hospitals of federal capital will not be tolerated.