ISLAMABAD, Dec 24: The VVIP wards of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH) have been reserved to deal with any emergency during the upcoming Saarc Summit, sources in the hospitals told Dawn on Wednesday.
The administrations of both the hospitals have cancelled the leaves of all the doctors and constituted special medical teams and dispensaries. Ambulances have also been reserved and helipad at Pims is also being repaired.
A special medical cell has also been established in the health ministry. Special measures have also been made at these hospitals to provide medical cover to the delegates.
According to the source, four rooms each in the ground and the first floor of the VVIP ward of Pims have been reserved to deal with any emergency. However, Asif Ali Zardari, spouse of the PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, would stay in the VVIP ward.
The Pims administration has earmarked three casualty medical officers, five doctors and nurses to handle any VVIP emergency. The hospital has also furnished a request for availability of a helicopter to swing into action in case of emergency.
The source said the FGSH would establish dispensaries at the Serena Hotel and Marriott Hotel where the VVIPs were schedule to stay. Each dispensary would be manned by a doctor, a dispenser, a dresser and a nurse.
Syed Irfan Raza adds: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has spent over Rs250 million on making arrangements for the Saarc Summit, a source in the Authority told Dawn on Wednesday.
Over Rs20 million have been spent on road marking plan under which the faded road marks are being repainted, the source said.
The source said all the works in connection with the summit were being executed without prior approval despite the fact that the Authority itself had notified recently that no maintenance and development work would be done without prior approval.
He said earlier the Authority had decided not to make any spending from its own resources and involve the private sector in making arrangements for the summit. However, the private sector restricted its assistance to installation of banners and flags on various routes.
The source said the failure of the Authority officials to get the desired assistance from the private sector had disappointed the CDA chairman, Kamran Lashari.
The Authority, he said, had spent over Rs250 million on various projects like re-carpeting of roads, road marking, construction of footpaths and walls, tree plantation, beautification and illumination of public and private buildings.
Meanwhile, the CDA chairman has directed decoration of the VVIP route to be used for escorting the foreign delegates from Islamabad Airport to the Convention Centre. He has also directed face-lifting and painting of all the buildings falling in the VVIP route.
In this connection, the buildings falling in the jurisdiction of Rawalpindi district government are being painted by the sanitation directorate of the Capital Development Authority. “The credit for painting of the houses free of cost goes to the director sanitation who wooed a paint company in this regard, the sources said.
He said Mr Lashari had emphasised improvement of green patches in the vicinity of Convention Centre through floriculture. He has also directed improvement of all medians on the VVIP route, he added.
The source said the chairman had also directed that the pictures and portraits erected throughout the VVIP route must reflect the culture of the four provinces of the country.