Nawaz departure eases misery of PIMS visitors

Islamabad : Visitors to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Cardiac Centre heaved a sigh of relief after the departure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif saying strict security checks have eased.

The former premier was shifted to the centre from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Sunday after he complained of pain in chest.

He, however, returned to jail on Tuesday night after the doctors found him to be in good health.

The visitors complained that during the former premier’s hospitalisation, the personnel of law-enforcement agencies had put up strict security checks at the Cardiac Centre’s entry points and wards.

They said as the room of Nawaz Sharif was declared sub-jail due to his conviction in London flats corruption case, they’re subjected to excessive checking and interrogation before being given entry.

The visitors complained that some of them were even made to wait for a long time outside the centre.

They also regretted that strict security checks had also delayed their scheduled checkup in the outpatient department.

The visitors complained about long delay in their examination by centre head Dr Naeem Malik, who was part of the medical team caring for the former premier.

They also said some consultants didn’t examine them for being busy with a senior colleague, Dr Ejaz Qadeer, who was hospitalised and got a permanent pacemaker for suffering a major heart attack.

The visitors said it was unlawful and unethical to compromise patient care in the name of security checks for a VVIP and that the authorities should better had ensured smooth checkup and treatment of the already distressed patients during the hospitalization of the former premier.

A senior PIMS doctor acknowledged the misery of Cardiac Centre patients from Sunday to Tuesday night but said the administration was helpless as the place was declared sub-jail for the former prime minister.

He also complained that the staff members, too, suffered inconvenience due to tight security. The doctor said after the departure of Nawaz Sharif, things at the Cardiac Centre had got back to normal with the patients being checked and treated with disturbance.