Cooling, heating system of PIMS hospital totally damaged, Senate told

ISLAMABAD: All five chillers are completely out of order at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). So are the heat exchangers and inside tubes are also blocked and damaged, owing to repeated repairing, the Senate was told. This hospital has 5,911th number among the top world government-run hospitals, according to recent media reports. 

Minister for the Capital Administration and Development Division Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said during the Question-Hour in the 250th session prorogued on Friday that the insider bodies of the chillers were damaged, condenser and generator were totally damaged, leaked and blocked due to having completed full use, including other related parts like plates, walls etc. The outside piping work was also rusted.    

He noted the bodies of all cooling towers along with other parts were completely damaged, rusted and holes were developed in the lower water traced due to which water leaked and mostly PVC fans were damaged.

All the chilled and hot water circulation pumps were repaired many times and now completely damaged, out of order and beyond repair and needed complete replacement, the minister said and added that all condenser water pumps were repaired many times but now they were completely out of order and also needed replacement.

The domestic hot water pumps were also repaired many times but now they needed to be replaced like water softener plants.

Moreover, electrical power panels were also partially working and started delta starter were out of order, which needed to be replaced too.

The tubs of low pressure boiler of No.4 were recently replaced but the tubs of the remaining boilers needed to be replaced.

The high pressure steam boiler was working on risk and needed replacement immediately as the boiler inspector had already recommended and informed PIMS to replace the equipment without further delay, owing to non-availability of stand-by arrangement.

Copper coils of hot water storage tanks were totally damaged and needed to be replaced too.The minister said that a PC-1 of air conditioner system, having capacity of 2,500 tonnes had been submitted to the Ministry of Finance. The cost of the equipment was Rs645.21 million.

On this, PTI Senator Muhammad Azam Swati wondered why the government had waited for things to reach this critical point at the PIMS, which witnessed thousands of patients daily not only from Islamabad and Rawalpindi but also from other districts and provinces. He asked why the equipment was not timely replaced and who was responsible for this criminal negligence.