‘40 beds with ventilators to be added to PIMS ICU’

Islamabad: Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid informed the National Assembly that 40 beds with ventilators in Intensive Care Units (ICU) and 154 beds in other wards, will be added to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

Responding to a query during Question Hour, she said that PIMS had 86 ventilators in various departments and presently all were functional. She said that there were 21 beds in children hospital ICU ward, 11 in cardiac ICU ward which had been equipped with ventilators.

She said that in case of non-availability of bed in ICU ward, patients were counselled and informed about the status and then referred to the other sister public organisations like federal government polyclinic and army hospital. She said that strengthening primary healthcare was the top priority of the government.

She said reforms were also being introduced in important departments such as Drug Regulatory Authority. The secretary said that expansion of Mother Care Hospital and neonatology department with the assistance of JICA was under process.

She said that to overcome the shortage, about 184 doctors had been appointed while process to appoint 101 more was in progress. Nausheen Hamid said that policies had been revisited to ensure one hundred coverage of anti-polio vaccine to the children.

She said that missed and refused children had also decreased due to efforts of the government. She said that survey with help of Capital Development Authority and local government started in the city to examine dengue larvae.

Responding to another question, she said, that Sehat Sahulat programme -- a social health protection initiative by federal government and participating provincial/ regional governments is working to provide financial protection to poor and marginalized families against extra-ordinary heath care expenditure.

Through this programme, she said that free of cost Sehat Insaf Cards were provided to enrolled families to access cashless quality indoor health care services from any empanelled hospital across the country with dignity and respect.

She said that based on the financial contributions by respective province, Sehat Sahulat programme had enrolled and provided services to around nine million families in 91 districts of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad Capital Territory. She said that prime minister had extended the Sehat Sahulat programme to all the permanent resident families of districts Tharparkar.