PIMS now has evening OPD to deal with challenge of growing number of patients effectively

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Health Services and Regulations, Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmed, Monday, inaugurated the evening shift of the outdoor patients’ department (OPD) at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) owing to the growing number of patients which according to officials has reached over 2.5 million annually.

The PM’s coordinator on Health Ministry two weeks ago directed the management of the PIMS to start the evening shift at OPD as the morning shift was not sufficient to treat all the patients coming from far-flung areas of the country. He said that evening OPD will prove a step forward in the government’s commitment to tackling health-related challenges and serving the people in the best possible way.

During his visit to the PIMS, Dr Ahmad said that opening the evening OPD shift would greatly benefit the poor patients, especially those unable to visit the health facility in the morning owing to various reasons. During his visit, he also reviewed various health services being provided to the patients including diagnostic laboratory and other equipment.

Ahmed personally inspected various wards of the hospital, including the emergency section, and engaged with patients to determine any concerns they might have faced during their treatment journey.

He also underscored the need for enhancing the hospital’s operational efficiency. He also directed the management for the establishment of dedicated kidney and liver transplant centres, and the formation of a specialised committee to spearhead these initiatives.

Ahmed also pledged full cooperation to fulfil the human resource requirements of the hospital to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services.

He undertook a comprehensive visit to the PIMS to assess and review the medical facilities provided by the medical institution. He emphasized the importance of patient-centric care and reiterated the government’s commitment to address any shortcomings in the healthcare system on a priority basis. Ahmed was also apprised about the near completion seven state-of-the-art operation theatres conforming to international standards. He assured his unwavering support to the PIMS administration in its pursuit of excellence in healthcare provision.

On the occasion, he was also accompanied by Health Secretary Iftikhar Ali Shallwani and Executive Director PIMs and other relevant officials. He said that the step was aimed at ensuring the highest standards of healthcare delivery to the citizens.

Secretary Shallwani also briefed the coordinator about the construction of a new hospital in the federal capital to address the growing medical treatment requirements of the patients, saying the under-construction 300-bed modern hospital will be completed by September 2025. The federal secretary said that Post Graduate Medical Institution II (PGMI-II) 300-bed hospital, is slated for completion by September 2025.

Dr Ahmed reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to expeditiously completing public welfare projects. He said that such public welfare projects should be completed on time as the construction of the hospital will not only benefit the citizens of Islamabad and surrounding districts rather a large number of people from Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Gilgit-Baltistan would also benefit from the facility. At present, there are four public sector hospitals operating in Islamabad namely, Federal Government Hospital (FGH) Chak Shahzad, Capital Development Authority Hospital (CDA) G-6, PIMS, and Government Polyclinic Hospital G-6 along with a few dozen dispensaries. The OPD of PIMS daily caters to over 16,000 patients, on average around 6,000 patients visit the OPD of Polyclinic daily while CDA and FGH also deal with thousands of patients; therefore, the construction of more health facilities is imperative.

The coordinator was briefed that the hospital will provide facilities for diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, maternity care, allergies, bone and joint problems, chest and heart diseases, and skin issues. The minister said that we are making progress in the short-term mission of reforms.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024