ISLAMABAD, Feb 27: Isolation units are ready at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) to meet any emergency in case of bird flu outbreak, said Pims Executive Director Prof Fazle Hadi on Monday.

He said some rooms in Medical II, Children’s Hospital and Mother and Child Health Care Hospital had excessively been reserved for this purpose.

However, the Medical Ward II would be kept for the purpose in case of arrival of any bird flu patient. He said gowns and gloves for the paramedical staff had already been procured while provision of medicines and arrangements of fumigation were being ensured at an emergency basis.

He said a separate filter clinic would start functioning within two months to decrease noise in the OPD. He said ordinary cases would be treated in the filter clinic while the OPD would be used as a specialist unit.

Meanwhile, a three-day annual symposium on sharing knowledge and research with national and international health experts will be held at Pims from March 3.

Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan will inaugurate the symposium, said Dr Hadi at a press conference.

He said about 200 doctors from the US, UK, France, Bosnia, and Pakistan would read their papers on the occasion.

The health experts will focus on the disaster management in the earthquake-affected areas of Azad Kashmir and NWFP.

“We would share our experience with the health experts on handling of cases like spinal cord injuries and amputations.”

He said 7,500 major operations were conducted in Pims and at a time 2,500 patients were admitted to the 950-bed hospital.

About 50 earthquake survivors are still under treatment at Pims, he said, adding that 20 per cent paraplegics had fully recovered while the others would have to live with the disease permanently.

He said three rehabilitation centres had been set up for 705 patients having spinal cord injuries and amputees.