Govt decides to urgently address shortage of engineering, technical staff at Pims
ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday decided to urgently address the shortage of engineering and technical staff at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) as part of efforts to improve efficiency in the health system following a tragic fire incident that killed 14 infants . The meeting was held after the federal government announced steps to address technical issues and hold…
The federal government has taken urgent steps to address the shortage of engineering and technical staff at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in the wake of a tragic fire incident that claimed the lives of 14 infants. This decision comes as part of broader efforts to enhance the efficiency of the health system following the incident at the Pims Mother and Child Health Centre.
The meeting was convened by Health Minister Mustafa Kamal after the government announced measures to tackle technical issues and hold those responsible for the fire accountable. Senior officials from the health ministry, Pims administration, Capital Development Authority (CDA), and other pertinent departments attended the gathering.
During the meeting, officials provided Kamal with an update on the state of the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system at the affected centre, which was damaged by the recent fire.
CDA representatives disclosed that work on the HVAC system had been hampered due to the temporary closure of the building as part of an investigation into the incident. In response, Kamal instructed the health secretary to promptly contact the relevant authorities and establish a timeline for the return of the building to enable restoration work to commence without delay.
To bridge the staffing gap, Kamal directed the health secretary to leverage engineers and technical experts from the pool of professionals created following the disbanding of the Pakistan Public Works Department (PWD). Additionally, it was agreed that the health ministry would correspond with the Ministry of Housing and Works to facilitate the deployment of suitable engineers, technical experts, and other pertinent personnel to the hospital.
Kamal emphasized the critical importance of bolstering the technical workforce to ensure uninterrupted and secure healthcare services for patients and newborns.
The Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) has commenced a thorough assessment of Pims' facilities and services, according to the health ministry. During a separate deliberation, the health minister received information about a visit by IHRA technical experts to Pims as part of an evaluation of the hospital's performance, infrastructure, and services in line with prescribed standards.
The IHRA team will review clinical, surgical, medical, radiology, and administrative departments, assessing the hospital's performance against various indicators. The ministry reported that the IHRA team will subsequently submit recommendations to enhance Pims' operations, elevate service standards, and modernize the hospital.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
