March 22, 2003	Saturday	Muharram 18, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, March 21: Federal health minister Mohammad Nasir Khan has warned the administrations of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and the Federal Government Services Hospital (Polyclinic) to improve performance or face replacement.

Both the hospitals need to improve their working, he said, adding that the functioning of these hospitals should be exemplary for the provincial hospitals. “If the respective administrations do not change, we will bring people who can change the system,” he said while talking to reporters at a local hotel.

Mr Khan said his ministry would introduce a course to revive basic professional ethics among doctors.

He also announced that the federal government had taken over Sheikh Zaid Hospital, Lahore, which was earlier controlled by the Punjab government.

The step has been taken because the hospital was not delivering, and its entire system had collapsed. The internal politics of doctors was adversely affecting that overall performance of the hospital, the minister said.

Accidents do happen while dealing with patients in every part of the world, but there is a way of handling the situation instead of plainly informing the family members that their patient has died, he deplored.

“I know the job of the doctors is stressful, but we need to bring back dignity and respect for them. Our doctors are doing marvels in the US and the UK, but here we have problems,” Mr Kahn said.

“I do not want to be a minister of transfer and postings, but the honeymoon period is over, and jointly we have to do something to bring improvement in the system by transforming government’s thoughts into action,” he said.

It does not cost money to clean the environment of the hospital or to be compassionate, the minister said, adding that the doctors should consider patients as VIPs.