KARACHI, Oct 21: The city government, which wants to open the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases by December, may not be able to meet the deadline because the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation has refused to grant it a connection, Dawn has learnt.

In a letter - dated July 8 and signed by its Executive Engineer Spd III - the KESC has cited its "distribution system constraints" as the main reason for rejecting the institute's application for a connection. The KIHD had applied for a 400kva connection.

Dr Mohammad Khalid, the deputy project director and deputy director of the institute, told Dawn on Thursday that a new application had been filed so that the KESC could review its position over the issue. He said a generator had already been bought but the hospital could not be inaugurated unless a regular connection was granted to it.

"We don't want to open the institute after pressing into service this machine simply because this is supposed to be a standby generator," he said. "We don't want to put too much load on this machine. "And in case this generator develops a fault we won't have any backup arrangement to keep things going. That is another reason why we are looking for a regular connection."

Answering a question, Dr Khalid said the appointment of staff could prove to be another hurdle in opening the facility as per the schedule agreed upon. He said a summary detailing the medical and paramedical staff needed had been sent to the high-ups about a month ago. "But no action has been taken so far."

When the summary was sent, there was a ban on recruitment in several provincial departments. "This ban has since been lifted but we still can't be sure if our SNE (sanctioned new expenditure) would be approved in time for us to meet the deadline."

Staffing was a longish process, he said. "We cannot complete this process in a week or a fortnight. So, the sooner our SNE is passed the better."

In response to a question, Dr Khalid said the SNE proposed a strength of about 650 personnel for the hospital. "This figure may seem to be on the higher side but we are asking for a staff that can take care of 240 beds."

Elaborating, he said initially the hospital was proposed to have only 120 beds. "But then in the second phase we will take the total number of beds up to the 240 mark, which is the figure around which we have calculated our staff strength or SNE."

The KIHD's deputy director said in the first phase only cardiology, emergency and diagnostic services would be provided. "And in the second phase the surgical, outpatient and other advanced services would be added."

In the third stage, he said, 200 beds would be added to the facility. In response to a question, he said the feasibility study for the second phase was almost ready.

Dr Zahid Rasheed, an associate professor, said the KIHD would be catering to the needs of at least seven towns surrounding the Gulberg Town in which it was situated. He said time was of the essence in case a person suffered a heart attack.

"A person should get first aid and emergency care within the first 20 minutes of suffering an attack. Keeping that criterion in mind, there are at least seven towns which are 15 to 20 minutes' drive from this institute. That is why we feel that this hospital would be catering to the needs of 60 per cent of the city's population."

Later, Dr Khalid showed this reporter around the under-construction building of the institute. Its emergency department and general wards - both male and female - are ready. The radiation-proof room which will house the hospital's angiography equipment is almost ready.

The only portions in which work is under way are the flanks of the building which will have the lifts, besides the entrance which leads to the emergency department.

The deputy director of the hospital said angiography, ETT and echocardiogram machines had already been bought which would be installed soon.