RAWALPINDI: Unhappy with the facilities provided at Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Prime Minister Imran Khan has sought a report from the national health services (NHS) minister in two days.

Mr Khan visited the hospital at night accompanied by NHS Minister Aamer Mehmood Kiani, Iftikhar Durrani and Senator Faisal Javed. He was received by BBH medical superintendent Dr Tariq Niazi and other health department officials.

Mr Khan visited the emergency ward as well as other departments and asked patients how they were being treated. He also checked the level of cleanliness and the kind of facilities patients were being provided, and spoke with patients’ attendants present at the hospital.

Mr Kiani told Dawn that the prime minister was not satisfied with the healthcare facilities available to pregnant women and newborn children.

“We asked the hospital administration to shift the extra gynaecology patients to the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) immediately, as new 200 bed wards have been added to the hospital. Gynaecology patients were sharing a bed in the hospital,” he said.

He said he would visit the hospital to inspect other facilities, after which he would submit his report to the prime minister.

“Khan sbalso directed to improve health facilities and other hospital infrastructure, including the intensive care unit and emergency department,” he said.

He said improvement had been witnessed at HFH, and soon BBH would improve as well, adding that the government was focused on managing things so people could avail better health facilities.

Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2019