Japanese agency to fund PIMS’ upgrade

Islamabad: The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide financial assistance to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to set up a 16-bed neonatology intensive care unit, a four-bed maternal-fatal intensive care unit and a 10-bed high dependency unit.

According to PIMS spokesperson Dr Wasim Khawaja, the hospital will also set up three new operation theatres in the Children’s Hospital and Maternal and Child (MCH) Health Centre.

A new clinical laboratory of haematology, biochemistry, and serology for intra-operative inpatient and emergency cases will be built.

He said there would be new facilities for minor treatment unit and examination room, new facility and equipment for 40 children and 40 MCH beds, equipment for histopathology and microbiology and equipment for the emergency delivery room, ICU and operation theatre etc.

Dr Wasim said the JICA would assist in establishing operation theatres for endoscopic and laparoscopic surgeries at MCH Centre, new operation theatres for surgeries at the Children Hospital and new wards for MCH Centre.

He said it was also decided to provide equipment and furniture to the new facility, revamping the existing system and services and new space for extension of present departments of Children Hospital and MCH centre.

"This equipment will be provided to upgrade the existing facilities while the size of new facilities and extent of procurement of equipment will be provided by the government of Japan which will be examined through technical and financial analysis by the Japanese side on the proposal of Pakistani side," he said.

The PIMS spokesperson said the JICA would assess the feasibility of the requested items through the survey and would report the findings to the government of Japan, while the final scope of the project would be decided by the government of Japan.