ISLAMABAD: According to the ‘Ranking Web of World Hospitals’, only four government-run hospitals are among the top 20 in the country, while the best public sector hospital in Pakistan ranks 5,911 in the world.

Although the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has topped the list of public sector hospitals in the country, it is in seventh position in the overall list of Pakistan’s hospitals.

According to the ranking, Jinnah Hospital Lahore is the second best public sector hospital, the Services Institute of Medical Sciences is third and Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar ranks fourth.

Private hospitals occupy the first six positions in the list of the country’s hospitals. Cidp International Foundation has been declared the best hospital in the country, although it ranks 1,842 in the world ranking. The Jinnah Memorial Hospital ranks second, the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation ranks third, Shifa International Hospital fourth and Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre has been ranked the fifth best hospital in the country.

According to Ranking Web of World Hospitals, the best public hospital in Pakistan ranks 5,911th in the world

The Ranking Web of World Hospitals is an initiative of Cybermetrics Lab, a research group of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), the largest public research body in Spain. The World Health Organistaion, World Bank and Asian Development Bank consider these rankings while allocating grants and projects.

According to the rankings, of the top 40 hospitals in South Asia, 35 are in India, three in Pakistan and one each in Bangladesh and Nepal.

Of the top 20 hospitals in South Asia, 19 hospitals in India and one in Bangladesh are the top 20 hospitals. However, just one hospital in India made it on the list of the 20 best hospitals in all of Asia.

A number of parameters are analysed when ranking hospitals which include the number of facilities, equipment, the number of experts in the hospital and the number of scholars affiliated with the hospital. The reputation of a hospital is also looked at, as is its popularity and whether it is preferred during an emergency.

Mortality rates and complications after treatment are also considered, as are workload, stroke cases, those of heart attacks, road accidents and the performance of various departments.

Dr Javed Akram, the Pims vice chancellor, which is rated the best public sector hospital in the country but seventh overall, said CSIC had contacted the hospital through the Spanish embassy and had asked for data on the hospital two months ago.

“Pims would have been ranked the best hospital in the country but we lacked points in two categories. We do not have an incinerator and a Central Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) System”, he said.

Dr Akram explained that incinerators are used to dispose of hospital waste and according to international standards, hospitals should have their own incinerators to ensure that waste is disposed on time and to avoid the spread of infections. The hospital also needs Rs970 million to install an HVAC, which it has applied for twice. The funding for the system is yet to be released.

“If we did not lack in these two categories, we would have been ranked the best hospital in the country. We will try to fulfil all the requirements and top the list the next time,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2016