Pims shifts serious gynae cases to Rawalpindi hospitals after fire

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has made temporary arrangements to shift serious gynaecological cases to other hospitals following the deadly incident.

The move comes after a fire at the hospital’s nursery resulted in the deaths of 14 newborn babies. The incident has raised concerns about hospital facilities, fire safety and the ability to manage critical patients during repairs.

A senior gynaecologist said Pims would continue treating routine cases under its existing no-refusal policy. However, very serious cases may be referred to other hospitals while the damaged nursery is repaired and renovated.

Serious patients shifted to Rawalpindi

Several patients have already been moved from Pims to hospitals in Rawalpindi. According to hospital officials, seven gynaecological patients and one child were shifted to Holy Family Hospital (HFH).

“We have a no-refusal policy, due to which all cases are accepted at the hospital,” the senior gynaecologist said.

She explained that the nursery had been badly affected by the fire and would require time for repairs. Because of this situation, hospital management decided that extremely serious cases should temporarily be sent elsewhere.

The doctor said Pims had still received several serious deliveries even after the incident. On Thursday alone, three or four deliveries were considered serious, making it difficult to shift every such patient to other hospitals.

She said other hospitals might not have enough capacity to handle a large number of patients if Pims began referring all serious cases.

The temporary arrangement is therefore focused on managing the most critical cases while Pims works on restoring its damaged facilities.

Holy Family prepares special ward

Holy Family Hospital has taken steps to accommodate patients coming from Pims. Medical Superintendent Dr Ijaz Butt said four female patients had been referred to the hospital by Pims management.

He said there was currently no major pressure on the gynaecology and paediatrics wards. The hospital expected to manage the additional patients with its existing arrangements.

A special ward has been prepared for patients referred from Pims. Doctors and nurses have also been assigned to provide treatment and monitor their condition.

The hospital has appointed an additional medical superintendent to coordinate the arrangements. Staff members have been instructed to admit patients arriving from Pims.

Dr Butt said the hospital building was completed about two years ago and its newly installed medical equipment was functioning properly.

The hospital also recently conducted a fire safety mock exercise with Rescue 1122. The exercise was held on August 24 to train staff to respond more effectively during emergencies.

Water safety measures also planned

Fire safety is not the only issue being addressed at the Rawalpindi hospitals. Water and firefighting arrangements are also being reviewed to improve emergency preparedness.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) plans to install water hydrants at six locations at Holy Family Hospital. Officials said the facility had lacked such arrangements in the past.

Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) has also prepared to receive emergency patients from Pims, although no referred patient had arrived there at the time of the report.

BBH Medical Superintendent Dr Sharjeel Sheikh said a special desk had been established to receive patients from Pims. He said the hospital had also offered assistance to Pims management on humanitarian grounds.

“We will deal only with emergency patients from Pims and in this regard, arrangements have been made in the emergency department,” he said.

The hospital has checked its fire safety equipment and officials said it was working properly. Its latest fire safety mock exercise was conducted on August 8.

Wasa officials have also inspected BBH and recommended two water hydrant points immediately. Six additional points are expected to be developed around the hospital.

Also Read:PIMS tragedy: Govt announces Rs5 million compensation for families of 14 newborns

Health secretary promises changes at Pims

Newly appointed Health Secretary Mohammad Mehmood has said he is working on measures to improve technology, infrastructure and administration at Pims.

He said the hospital infrastructure should meet international standards and that governance also needed improvement. He added that he planned to spend significant time at Pims to understand its problems directly.

“The infrastructure should be at an international level and governance should also be improved,” he said.

Mehmood acknowledged that he was new to the health sector but said his responsibility was administration. He said he would seek advice from experienced people working at the hospital to understand the problems and find solutions.

The health secretary also holds additional charge of the health ministry. He said he would manage ministry responsibilities from Pims whenever possible.

“I can go out of Pims to attend important meetings, such as meetings chaired by the prime minister, but then again will come to Pims,” he said.

He also pointed to the role of technology in making such an arrangement possible.