200-bed emergency unit at PIMS to be completed by December: official

ISLAMABAD: A 200-bed emer gency unit, being constructed at PIMS Hospital, is set to be completed by December this year, Federal Health Secretary Nadeem Mahbub said on Sat urday during his visit to the site and directed the team to accel erate their efforts to ensure its timely completion. In addition to inspecting the emergency unit, Nadeem Mah bub also visited the newly built modular operation theater. He said that it has been constructed on par with international stan dards and established on mod ern lines and announced that the state-of-the-art facility will be inaugurated soon. The health secretary toured the Children’s Hospital and directed the man agement to further upgrade and improve the health facilities. He also visited the mother and child hospital, which is being constructed in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and instructed the executive director of PIMS to ensure it becomes fully functional as soon as pos sible. Furthermore, he reviewed the parking facility currently under construction and urged its swift completion. Emphasising the govern ment’s commitment to enhanc ing healthcare services, Nadeem Mahbub stated, “We will leave no stone unturned in providing facil ities to the public.” He assured that effective measures are being taken to improve hospital perfor mance and that all resources will be utilised to provide the best medical facilities to patients. Islamabad has a population of over 1 million residents but it also serves as a central hub for people from surrounding regions, including Rawalpindi and the northern areas, who come to the city seeking medical assistance. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) is one of the largest and most promi nent healthcare facilities in the country, catering to thousands of patients daily, the ministry of health officials briefed. The demand for emergency services in Islamabad is signif icant, with a large number of patients requiring urgent medical attention due to road accidents, cardiac emergencies, and other critical conditions, they said, adding that current emergency facilities are often overwhelmed, leading to long wait times and challenges in providing timely care to all patients. Many patients, especially those coming from remote and rural areas, face difficulties in accessing emergency services in Islamabad. The lack of ade quate transportation, financial constraints, and overcrowded facilities further exacerbate the situation. These challenges high light the critical need for the new 200-bed emergency unit at PIMS, which aims to alleviate some of the pressures on the existing infrastructure and provide more efficient and effective care to those in need. The completion of this new emergency unit, along with the enhancements in other hospital facilities, is expected to signifi cantly improve the healthcare services available to the public, ensuring better outcomes for patients and reducing the strain on the healthcare system in the capital.