KARACHI, Feb 7: The Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases, a project of the city district government Karachi, is still waiting for the required staff as the Sindh government is yet to approve an SNE.
At present, the CCU and emergency facilities are ready at the hospital, and modern equipment and furniture has been purchased, but still the hospital could not be fully made functional due to non-availability of staff.
Equipment worth millions of rupees has either been purchased or is in the pipeline, but posting of doctors and other staff to run the equipment is being delayed.
A purchase order for getting a thallium scanning machines has also been issued.
Despite the lack of required staff, the KIHD has provided services to Karachiites.
According to available statistics, 12,800 people visited the hospital till Jan 20 in OPD. It provided facilities of ETT to 446 patients, Echo Doppler to 1,315 patients while angiography and angioplasty facilities were provided to 405 and 47 patients, respectively.
Moreover, the hospital is providing quality cardiac-care facilities at very nominal rates. For example, it is charging Rs50 for OPD, Rs300 for ETT and Echo Doppler Studies, Rs3000 for angiography, Rs 35,000 for angioplasty with one stent and Rs 50,000 for angioplasty with two stents.
The Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases is the only hospital of public sector where a large number of renowned heart experts are working voluntarily.
It is sheer pity that a modern hospital of such a status in the largest city of the country has not been made fully functional only due to the non-approval of SNE.
Recently, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal visited the KIHD and took stern notice of its being non-functional.
He announced that he would personally take the matter of approval of the SNE with the Sindh government and Karachiites would hear a good news soon.
The Foundation for Education, Health and Media on Tuesday welcomed the statement of the city nazim regarding the provision of staff to the KIHD.
Dr Fayyaz Alam said that by making this second biggest hospital of heart diseases operational, many precious lives could be saved as on average, five heart patients die daily due to their late arrival to hospitals.
According to the plan, it would be a full-fledged, state-of-art institute of heart diseases with all the diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, including angiography, angioplasty with stents implantation, thallium scanning, ETT, Echo Dopplar, CCU, closed and open heart surgery, etc.
According to the plan, the KIHD besides providing diagnostic and treatment facilities to heart patients, would also provide teaching and training to undergraduate students of Karachi Medical and Dental College.
It would also provide education and training to postgraduate students for Diploma in Cardiology, MD, MS, FCPS and MRCP. The training of nursing and paramedics, including diploma in nursing and training of ECG technicians, is also a part of the KIHD.
The institute was planned to be completed in two phases. The provision of a 20-bed cardiac emergency, a 20-bed CCU, an 80 bed wards for indoor patients, diagnostic facilities of ECG, X-ray, laboratory, ETT, Echo Dopplar studies, angiography and cardiac catheterization, nuclear cardiology and thallium scanning was included in the first phase.
The provision of special clinics for blood pressure, hyperlipidimias (cholesterol clinic), heart failure clinic, diabetes clinic, rheumatic heart diseases clinic and pace-maker clinic were also included in this phase.
An amount of Rs161,700,000 was estimated to be spent during the first phase.
In the second phase, a new multi-purpose building for cardiac surgery and paediatric cardiology and other services was to be built, with a capacity of another 280 beds, extendable to 400 beds, besides provision of an eight beds paediatric ICU, a 20-bed paediatric ward, two paediatric surgical theatres, a 20-bed paediatric ward, paediatric OPD and services of paediatric echocardiology, angiography and angioplasty.
The construction of four surgical theatres, a 20-bed surgical ICU, a 40-bed surgical ward, setting up of a surgical OPD, a private wing and expansion of present wards and facilities, besides a new lab with three angio machines and multi-slice CT angiography, along with cardiac rehabilitation facilities and a heart house, was the part of the second phase.—PPI
