March 29, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, March 28: The health ministry has planned to set up three trauma centres on the motorway where all basic facilities will be provided, including a mobile operating unit.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the filter clinic (OPD) at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) here on Wednesday, Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan said this service would help save precious lives and reduce morbidity.

He said the ministry in collaboration with the tourism ministry was also planning to start health tourism to invite patients from other countries to come here for treatment.

Tele-medicine system is also being started in the hospital, the minister said, adding that provinces would be encouraged to start such a project.

He said the government had provided all basic health facilities at Pims for patients and appreciated the hospital staff for their professional commitment and dedication. The government has focused on provision of primary healthcare facilities to the people and started several programmes in this regard, he added.

Mr Khan said the government had allocated huge amount for the health sector as improvements in this sector could only be achieved through maximum allocations and investment.

He said the filter clinic (OPD) would share the burden of patients with the old OPD of the hospital. It had a capacity to serve 1,200 patients daily. The clinic consists of 12 units including laboratory, ECG room, pharmacy, administration unit and waiting areas for 250 people.

Pims Executive Director Fazle Hadi said several new projects had been planned by the hospital to provide better healthcare to the patients.

He said the project concept (PC-I) had been prepared for installation of MRI in Children Hospital while the new medical ICU had already been established in the hospital.

He said the filter clinic would be run by the Pims administration.

Managing Director, Indus Pharma, Zahid Saeed said facility at filter clinic would be maintained and improvement would be carried out as and when required. The annual turnover of patients at the filter clinic will be around 350,000, he added.

Besides Health Secretary Khushnood Akhtar Lashari, senior officials of the ministry were also present on the occasion.