Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to have COVID-19 ward by next week

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar announced on Tuesday that a coronavirus ward was being established at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation-run Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

The laboratory of the hospital would also be made functional by the next week for free lab tests, including COVID-19 tests. According to a press statement issued by the KMC, Senior Director for Health Services Dr Beerbal Gainani briefed Akhtar about the laboratory.

The mayor said the coronavirus ward was also being established at the hospital, which would have the capacity to treat 48 adults and 26 children at a time. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is supposed to bear all expenses of the ward.

The mayor said the hospital’s laboratory had been nonfunctional for a long time. “Now, it will be equipped with modern technology so that the people could be tested for COVID-19 as well,” he said, adding that the Karachiites were facing hardships as the hospitals were out of space owing to a huge number of coronavirus cases, and the KMC’s hospitals could be used in these circumstances. “There are spaces at hospitals under the KMC,” he said.

Akhtar said that besides an isolation ward, incentive care units (ICUs) and high dependency units (HDU) were also being established at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. While briefing the mayor, Gainani said that a team of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) also visited the hospital along with the vice principal of the Karachi Medical and Dental College, Dr Khalid Ashrafi, Medical Superintendent Abbasi Shaheed Hospital Dr Nadeem Rajput, Professor of Medicines Dr Aneela Altaf and Senior Director Coordination Masood Alam.

The team reviewed measures and decided to make the ward functional by next week and the provincial government would be asked to provide kits. The mayor was briefed about the feasibility report that had been sent to the PDMA.

The hospital caters to the residents of Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Liaquatabad, Federal B area, Karimabad, Sharifabad, Sakhi Hassan, Buffer Zone and other areas of Central, East and West districts. The mayor was also informed that the OPD of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital had been opened with standard operating procedures, and patients, doctors and paramedics were strictly asked to follow the SOPs.

Akhtar directed the medical and health services department to take every possible measure to serve the masses in these difficult times and treat the people despite having limited resources. He also paid tribute to the doctors and paramedics for combating the deadly disease on the front line.