ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan on Monday announced that a 200-bed multi-storey emergency tower will be constructed at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

Speaking to media persons, at Pims he said mobilisation for the emergency tower has been started. It will be a modern and state-of-the-art building. All kind of emergencies will be there in one place.

Moreover, the tower will make it possible to do a triage of patient (or victims of a disaster) based on illness/injury, severity, prognosis and resource availability.

“I believe that there is a need to make a system of triage in the hospital at the earliest. Moreover, cooperation of Pims and blood centre will be enhanced for the safe transfusion of blood,” he said.

Dr Sultan said the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) has ensured better management and governance in the hospitals.

“Because of the MTI, professional and committed people will be brought in the hospital. Every day thousands of people reach Pims to get free treatment so we have been trying to provide best possible treatment here. The facility of health card will reduce the load on public sector hospitals such as Pims because private hospitals are also empanelled for the treatment of people through health cards,” he said.

In November 2020, President Dr Arif Alvi had promulgated MTI Ordinance, suggesting that the hospital will be run through a board of governors (BoG).

According to the ordinance, BoG will deal with all affairs of the Pims.

The members were appointed and notified by the Ministry of National Health Services on the recommendation of a search and nomination council.

Though employees protested against the ordinance, it sailed through the parliament. Later, Pims management uploaded rules and regulation on its website but employees refused to accept them.

SAPM said that Pims also accepted patients having health cards.

“We want to make sure that only complicated cases are referred to Pims which is a tertiary care hospital,” he said.

Director Hospital Dr Khalid Masood, while talking to Dawn, said 200-bed emergency tower would be constructed near children hospital.

“It will be a three-storey building where 400 cars can also be parked. The face and opening of the building will be towards the gate so in case of emergency patients could be brought to the emergency at the earliest,” he said.

While replying to a question, Dr Masood said the existing emergency had a small building and needed to be further extended.

“While I was in Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, I had supervised constriction of 176-bed emergency ward which addressed most of the issues of the hospital. The emergency at Pims will also be state of the art and will have all kinds of emergencies at one place. Patients will be stabilised there and then will be shifted to wards,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2022