Rs2 billion allocated for liver transplant facility

ISLAMABAD: Keeping in view organ transplant is costly, the government will upgrade existing liver transplant facility and will also construct another extension of Organ Transplant Centre at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and approved jacking up its allocation to Rs02 billion for upcoming fiscal year 2018-19.

For execution of health projects at cost of national exchequer, a high-level meeting held at the PM Secretariat recently considered number of steps for smooth implementation, and it also came into the light that practicing doctors should be banned for becoming project directors because they could not focus on execution of project due to other engagements.

Although, the PC-1 for Organ Transplant Centre has not yet been approved as it is under preparation at the moment but after consideration at the PM Secretariat level, the government has increased its allocation for meeting whole requirement of resources up to Rs02 billion against earlier allocated amount of Rs500 million for the fiscal year 2018-19.

The hiring of doctors for transplant centre was the major problematic area for the public sector hospitals as it was decided that doctors from Al Shifa International will be hired for training doctors at PIMS. “The government cannot afford remuneration of doctors by providing Rs05 to Rs06 million on monthly basis,” said the official sources and added that doctors from Al Shifta would train doctors at PIMS.

The government is also considering hiring one renowned doctor from India with name of Dr Gupta, who will be assigned to train doctors at PIMS. First, the Indian doctor will train our staff and then examine them in conducting organ transplant practically.

The government has also approved establishment of a unit for shredding, sterilisation and disposal of medical waste at PIMS, Islamabad, with estimated cost of Rs295.316 million for next fiscal year. The PIMS administration plans to request the Punjab government for providing shredding units at standard cost because there is no proper mechanism for disposal of medical waste at PIMS.

The government has approved to construct Cancer Hospital, Islamabad, with estimated cost of Rs5.156 billion and earmarked Rs655 million in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for 2018-19.

Now, it has been decided at the highest level meeting that this cancer hospital will be constructed within premises of PIMS, Islamabad.

Although, there is Nuclear Medicine Oncology and Radio Therapy Institute (NORI) in Islamabad, but the government thinks that cancer hospital is needed in the federal capital. PTI Chairman Imran Khan had constructed Shaukat Khanum at Lahore and Peshawar and he plans to construct another one in Karachi. Now the federal government has also come up with plan to construct cancer hospital in Islamabad in a bid to get political mileage.

The government has earmarked Rs1,317 million for preparation of master plan for prime minister’s initiative of new hospitals across Pakistan. However, there is no step taken by the government practically to kick-start this project after Panama verdict given by the SC on July 28, 2017, when Nawaz Sharif was ousted so this ambitious project was put into cold storage. However, the government has allocated Rs08 billion under the Health Initiative, but it was not yet decided that what kind of intervention the upcoming government might plan to tackle arising health problems in Pakistan.