KARACHI, Dec 5: In an effort to streamline the handling of trauma and other emergency cases, the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre has decided to reorganize its casualty ward.

Late last month the director of JPMC, Prof Mashoor Alam, issued a notification that did away with the old system under which a handful of doctors remained on duty in the casualty ward while a number of doctors working for the other units of the hospital were supposed to be on call.

On Sunday Prof Alam told Dawn that the old system had not been able to deliver due to various reasons. The patients suffered, as a consequence. Under the new system, he said, there was no provision for on-call doctors. "Instead, three teams of four or five doctors would remain on duty round-the-clock in the casualty ward to deal with the emergency cases," he said.

Prof Alam said one of the three teams would deal with trauma and terrorism cases. "The remaining two will handle minor injuries and medical emergencies, respectively," he said.

When a patient would walk into the new and reorganized ward, he or she would be greeted by a team of doctors who would refer his or her case to one of the three teams. The teams would be assigned separate rooms in the casualty ward.

Answering a question, Prof Alam said that the three teams would comprise FCPS trainees having adequate experience in the areas mentioned. He said, "I have already designated some of my doctors as part of the three teams."

He said that a set of sterilizers, worth Rs15 million, had been acquired by the JPMC, which would be installed within the next three months. He said the sterilizers had been acquired with the objective of raising the standard of care at the hospital.

In response to a question, he said the hospital's 40-year-old sterilizer, which had become obsolete, had been replaced with a new but smaller one. "An electron microscope had also been acquired that would replace the old one," he said.

The federal health minister was taking keen interest in upgrading the hospital's facilities, said Prof Alam. "The minister has asked us to work on various projects through which we may improve our services," he said.

A central state-of-the-art laboratory was proposed to be established which would greatly complement the existing one. He said, "The new lab will not only improve the diagnostic services available at the JPMC but would also allow our staff to undertake research activities."

Prof Alam said that a modern complex of operation theatres was also in the pipeline. Similarly, he added, the gynaecology ward was being expanded with the addition of some 60 beds to it.