ISLAMABAD, Dec 11: A Rs350 million operation theatre complex built with Japanese assistance was handed over to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) here on Monday.

Head of the Paediatric Surgery Department Prof Zaheer Abbasi said on the occasion that the complex would start functioning next week after its machines and service lines were tested.

It is an addition to the $17.2 million Children Hospital which was built by the Japanese government in 1985. The hospital has been providing all aspects of paediatric surgery.

Prof Abbasi said the old six theatres, which operated upon 6,000 children annually, were also acquiring latest support equipment such as anaesthesia and ventilation machines, cardiac monitors, both for monitoring patients during and after surgery, advance operating tables.

The new theatre complex will have advance video assisted endoscopes both for urological and gastro intestinal tract procedures which will help the surgeons to train and demonstrate new procedures to the trainees.

Federal Minister for Health Mohammad Nasir Khan said that looking after the health needs of children was the top priority of the government and completion of paediatric surgical operation theatre complex would be a great help in that.

Government has initiated several measures to address inadequacies in primary secondary and tertiary health care services. It has taken steps to correct urban bias in health sector, regulate the private medical sector, create mass awareness in public health matters and monitor the drug sector, he said.

Pims has been delivering tertiary health care to the poor and needy people and offers specialised services in most of the disciplines of surgery and medicine.

It has become the leading and foremost health care institute under the federal government and a seat of learning for higher medical education and research, the minister said.