Steps reviewed to reduce patient burden on Pims

ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, Health Minister Mustafa Kamal convened a meeting at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) to assess fire safety protocols in government hospitals, the cooling system at Pims, and methods to alleviate the patient burden at the country's top public sector hospital. Prior to a tragic fire incident that resulted in the death of 14 newborns, Pims did not implement a refusal policy, leading to an influx of patients from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Post the incident, discussions on "patient management" have emerged among hospital administrators.

The gathering encompassed heads of public hospitals, the Additional Secretary of Health, Joint Secretary, Director General of Health, and the District Health Officer of Islamabad. The minister scrutinized the advancement of fire safety audits within government hospitals and the actions taken to address safety issues that followed the recent Pims fire incident.

Additionally, he reviewed the Heat, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system at Pims and mandated that the cooling system at the Children's Hospital be guaranteed promptly. He instructed relevant authorities to guarantee the HVAC system's full functionality, especially in pediatric and other vulnerable patient care areas.

Kamal announced the establishment of a telemedicine center at Pims to decrease the hospital's patient load. He directed the chief information officer of the health card program to launch an awareness campaign regarding the Prime Minister's Health Card, aiming to enable eligible patients to utilize treatment facilities at panel hospitals instead of exclusively visiting Pims.

He affirmed that free and high-quality healthcare services were accessible to citizens at 15 hospitals in Islamabad, as part of the Prime Minister's Health Card program. These hospitals encompassed Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. The minister urged authorities to execute a thorough awareness campaign to acquaint citizens with the 15 panel hospitals and the complimentary treatment options available to eligible beneficiaries.

Kamal emphasized that increased usage of these facilities would alleviate pressure on Pims and bolster patient access to healthcare services. He proceeded to tour various sections of the new emergency department and evaluated the facilities, directing hospital administration to operationalize the new emergency department on an emergency basis, underscoring its urgent necessity for enhanced patient care and decreased strain on existing emergency services.