ISLAMABAD: The Retired Employees Welfare Association of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has stated that inspections, raids and administrative reshuffles cannot address the longstanding problems of the hospital.
The former employees called for comprehensive and permanent reforms to address the issues once and for all.
At a consultative meeting on the current situation at Pims, the association members discussed the hospital’s administrative affairs, basic infrastructure, employees’ issues and measures required to improve healthcare services.
It is worth mentioning that since the incident of Pims inwhich 14 newborn babies were burnt alive, the hospital has been facing a number of inquiries, inspections and reshuffling of officers.
Association’s Patron Dr Mansoor Ahmed expressed concern over repeated changes in administration and the deployment of inspection teams, saying such temporary measures created uncertainty among employees while diverting attention from the institution’s problems.
He said Pims did not require a complete overhaul of its infrastructure to become a modern state-run hospital, but needed merit, justice, transparency and administrative accountability.
Dr Ahmed said a number of cases regarding employees’ rights and the hospital’s requirements had remained pending formonths or even years in ministries and offices of senior officers. He said administrative changes and inspections cannot address issues.
Association’s press secretary Tanveer Nowshai proposed that an open kutchery should be held at Pims where the health minister, secretary and senior officials should directly hear the concerns of patients, doctors, nurses and other employees.
He said people working at the hospital were best placed to identify its day-to-day problems and should therefore be involved in the reform process rather than being blamed for systemic shortcomings.
He suggested strengthening the government healthcare system at Pims so decision-makers could better understand its problems.