Non-existant MS at RIU asked to restore arrangements

Rawalpindi : Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department (SHC&ME Department) at Government of the Punjab has issued a letter to the medical superintendent at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology who does not exist at present to restore arrangements for COVID-19 patients.

The letter issued by the SHC&ME Department dated November 12 states that in order to review the evolving situation regarding COVID-19 cases, the Minister Health Punjab chaired a meeting on November 10 at the Civil Secretariat Lahore in which it has been decided that COVID related arrangements in RIU Rawalpindi are required to be revived at full capacity as was done in June 2020.

The letter issued on Thursday states that ‘Secretary SHC&ME Department, and all VCs, principals and MSs of teaching hospitals attended the meeting’ but it seems as nobody was aware of the fact that the seat of MS at RIU has been lying vacant since October 28 and no officer has so far been given even additional charge of the post.

Specifically established Corona Management Centre at Rawalpindi Institute of Urology has been shut down last month and the seat of Medical Superintendent at RIU is lying vacant after retirement of former MS at RIU Dr. Khalid Randhawa on October 27.

The letter issued on November 12 asked the MS RIU ‘to make the requisite arrangements in terms of deployment of staff, provision of medicine, equipment at PPEs with immediate effect and submit compliance report within two days for perusal of the Secretary SHC&ME Department’.

Additional MS at RIU Dr. Tahir Rizvi when contacted by ‘The News’ on Thursday said he has received the directives verbally and confirmed that he has not been given additional charge of the post of MS. “I have been asked to make CMC at RIU functional again till Monday.”

Many senior health experts however are of the view that how is it possible to have such a critical institute operational in a proper way without an MS at a time when the COVID-19 outbreak is hitting population hard in this region of the country.