THIS is with reference to a news item about the new 60-bed intensive care unit established at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi (March 24). This is, indeed, a great addition to healthcare provision in the country in general, and in Karachi, in particular.

However, for the sake of historical correction, I would like to respond to the claim reportedly made by Professor Liaquat Ali that “it would be the first ICU of the country where patients would be provided free-of-cost treatment, costing thousands of rupees a day.”

This would certainly not be the first ICU in the country delivering free of cost treatment. From my personal experience, I can vouch without fear of contradiction that at least three ICUs (and there can be many more) are running in the Civil Hospital, Karachi (CHK) for years where patients are not charged a single penny.

The Surgical Intensive Care Unit at the CHK was established in 1991 and thousands of lives have been saved since then. This facility is a role model and is completely free. The Neurology Critical Care Unit at the Department of Neurology, CHK, was established in 2005. I have been associated with this unit for four years and was its director for about two years.

It has eight ventilators. Here the neurological emergencies are dealt with, especially patients with a dreadful condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome and patients with DDT poisoning who would die unless provided artificial respiration from a ventilator. Not a single penny is charged from patients. The average expenses on one patient is about Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 a day. This is a brilliant example of public-private partnership in healthcare.

The third such facility at the CHK is the Medical Intensive Care Unit which was established by the alumni of Dow Medical College. This is again free of cost.

I do not mean to belittle the achievement of the JPMC team for their remarkable work but I thought we must not forget to acknowledge and remember those stalwart contributors who do not beat the drum.

DR SARWAR JAMIL SIDDIQUI Assistant Professor of Neurology Aga Khan University Karachi