Citizens on Sunday demanded of the authorities concerned to take notice of what they claimed the frequent absence of senior doctors and non-observance of duty-roster by medical and non-medical staff at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
They were of the view that there should be a monitoring mechanism to check them whether the duty staff observes duties or not in the hospital. They demanded that a system of reward and punishment should be started by the hospital management under which responsible staff should be encouraged while those who do not take their duties seriously should be punished.
Amir Shah, a patient, alleged that senior doctors mostly remained absent from their duties while only postgraduate doctors (PGs), who were studying there, run the affairs of the most sensitive units of the hospital.
Taimoor Khan, another patient, said due to non-professional attitude of non-observance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of the staff at the emergency, patients faced several hardships, particularly those in critical condition.
Sometimes patients at the emergency department, he said, needed immediate response from expert doctors but only general physicians were found there and the specialist doctors did not reach the ward on time.
He said the authorities concerned should immediately expand the emergency ward with more staff to provide timely and properly medical care to the patients. Another patient, Abbas Ali demanded to deploy sufficient staff, including medical and para-medical staff, at emergency wards 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 having full knowledge of SOPs and all other procedures, should be assigned at PIMS emergency.
Imran Arif, brother of a patient, said healthcare services should be improved at PIMS emergency department to entertain maximum number of patients.
A large number of patients from far-flung areas visited PIMS emergency unit daily and face many problems due to lack of facilities and inadequate services, he added.
He said there limited beds were available in the wards, attached with the emergency department adding there was not only limited staff but there was acute shortage of medicines.
When contacted, an official of the hospital said unlike medical practices abroad where one doctor examined five to seven patients in a day, here at PIMS each doctor had to examine several patients daily at emergency. He said a sufficient number of doctors perform duties in the hospital’s emergency.
He said due to heavy load at OPD during daytime several patients with normal problems come to emergency to get consultation from the doctors. He said the hospital management had taken several steps to provide best medical care to the patients.
A team of best doctors remained in the emergency ward of the hospital round the clock to provide proper medical cover to incoming patients, he added.