PIMS minimises elective surgeries, admissions

Islamabad : The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has decided to minimize all elective surgeries and hospital admissions in view of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

A circular has been issued, instructing the chief pharmacist to provide N-95 masks to doctors posted in the Isolation and Emergency departments. The hospital has also instructed all heads of departments to exercise caution when approving staff leaves on medical grounds. The measures have been taken on the advice of the hospital’s consultants.

Meanwhile, consultants, young doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other staff of PIMS, Polyclinic, National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, and Federal General Hospital will hold a joint press conference at PIMS today (Thursday) at 12 p.m. to table their demands to the government vis-à-vis availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) so that they can treat patients without the fear of contracting the disease themselves.

“Except for doctors performing duties in the Isolation Ward, the government is yet to ensure the provision of any protective equipment to us. We have even purchased our own masks. Unless PPE is provided to every single employee of PIMS working in the OPDs—ranging from doctors and paramedics to sweepers and clerks, we will not be able to function with a free mind,” Chairman of Young Consultants Association-Pakistan Dr. Asfandyar Khan stated while talking to this scribe.

“The government is not taking our demands seriously,” Dr. Asfandyar regretted. “We get hundreds of patients in our OPDs on a daily basis; for all we know, any patient that we are treating without a mask may have contracted COVID-19. This is akin to committing suicide, and we are not prepared to compromise our safety. We have to be safe in order to protect patients,” he stated. Dr. Asfandyar said, “We have no plans to observe a strike; we just need the government to give a serious thought to our safety.”

Troubled by unsatisfactory working conditions for doctors and paramedics in various public and private hospitals, the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) has also urged the government to ensure safety of healthcare workers who are the frontline fighters in the war against COVID-19.

In a statement issued here on Wednesday, PIMA’s Central Preseint Dr. Muhammad Afzal Mian said, doctors and paramedics are facing a real threat as PPE is deficient in hospitals, sanitizers are short in the market, and N-95 masks are almost unavailable. He demanded the provision of PPE to healthcare providers, especially to those in close contacts with vulnerable patients. “If treating doctors and nurses become ill or quarantined, how will the health system deal with this emergency,” he questioned.

The PIMA President also suggested that tertiary care and other hospitals dealing with suspected cases should limit their elective services as far as possible, without compromising the needs of emergency patients. He advised government to establish quarantine areas in the outskirts of cities, utilizing district and taluqa hospitals instead of tertiary care hospitals. “Temporary quarantine and dedicated treatment centres can also be made at stadiums and expo centres, where available, to avert the risk of spread of the lethal viral infection to the common people,” he suggested.

Dr. Afzal appreciated the courage and commitment of healthcare workers at this crucial time and urged all doctors and paramedics to uphold their oath to treat anyone in any circumstances, with a firm belief that they will be honoured with the best reward in the life hereafter.