KARACHI: Paediatrics dept of CHK without manpower - Lab inaugurated
KARACHI, May 30: The paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Paediatrics Department, unit III, Civil Hospital Karachi was formally inaugurated in January 2003
, but it is yet to be made functional for want of qualified staff in adequate number.
Chairman, paediatrics ward, CHK Prof Muhammad Iqbal Memon, talking to APP on Sunday said that PICU was the first of its kind in any of the government hospitals across the province, having an eight-bed capacity and all necessary equipment.
At the moment there was said to be only one nurse per shift, attending to 54 child patients with the support of some medical students and fresh graduates. Besides, there was also shortage of other helping staff including sweepers etc.
"For PICU we need to have two to three nurses per shift, and as a last resort, local philanthropists have been appealed to arrange for qualified nurses with provision for their monthly salaries," he said, adding that response in this regard was awaited.
Prof Memon appreciative of the co-operation extended by the CHK administration, said there was generally a shortage of nursing staff at CHK. With regard to availability of funds, he said close public-private partnership was a necessary to initiate fresh projects and meet the running expenditure, particularly due to the constant increase in the number of patients.
According to him, owing to the very reason the paediatrics ward, unit-III had embarked on various programmes and projects including the Khatija Essa Tai Ward Lab, inaugurated on Sunday.
The lab, he said, was provided with a chemical analyser and related gadgets so as to avoid additional expenditures incurred on lab tests undertaken at laboratories outside CHK.
According to him, donors were also committed to providing required kits and meeting the running expenditure. This was extremely significant due to the massive turnover of children upto age 15 at the department comprising three units as well as at its Diarrhoea Treatment Unit, catering to some 1,000 kids each month.
Dr Memon mentioned that around 250 child patients admitted to his unit (Unit III) per month reported with a wide range of serious conditions including severe diarrhoea, sepsis, acute renal failure, meningitis, tetanus and malignancies.
They were apart from the children with thalassaemia, who visit the unit for blood transfusion, he added. He mentioned the allocated budget to be insufficient for meeting the running expenditure and, therefore, philanthropic support was required.
However, during the last four months one could witness a marked surge in the expenditure against the donations collected, adding that expenses came to Rs0.25 million per month and Rs3 million per year.
Appreciating the spirit of public service among the locals for extending donation for various projects besides procurement of required drugs, injections, vaccines, the senior paediatrician wished if there could be volunteers willing to serve as nurses or social health educators.
INAUGURATION: Speakers at the inauguration of "Khadija Essa Tai Laboratory" at the CHK urged philanthropists tohelp equip the paediatric department of the hospital with state-of-the-art facilities for providing medical care to children.
Prof Dr Iqbal Memon gave an overview of the facilities being provided at the department, and apprised about future schemes including a properly staffed and running paediatric intensive care unit, educational resource of closed circuit TV/VCR system with a Sesame Street like idea, and religious educational and entertainment system, adequate support for patients in terms of nurses, wardboys, sweepers, guards, provision of medicines to all patients and added coverage, ultrasound machine, redesigning and development of Paediatric OPD, visitor-pass system, establishment of patient call bell system, fresh colour and maintenance of the entire unit. Vice-Chancellor, Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) Prof Masood Hameed Khan also spoke. -APP/PPI
