ISLAMABAD: Pims management is considering banning use of mobile phones by doctors and other staff members during their duty hours.

Pims Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Akram said the benefits and drawbacks of such a ban were under consideration. He said the matter will be taken up by the academic council and, if approved, it will be referred to the university syndicate.

The use of mobile phones by employees during their duty hours has been a concern for hospital managements. Doctors not only spend duty time on the phone, but there have even been complaints of doctors answering phone calls while checking patients and in operation theatres.

Recently, the Liaquat University Hospital in Hyderabad issued a notification, available with Dawn, which banned the use of mobile phones by doctors and staff during duty hours. The letter said if the order is resisted or disobeyed, a complaint will be referred to the health secretary for departmental action.

Dr Akram said the hospital has received complaints that employees spent around two hours on the phone during duty timings.

`Though a ban can be imposed on the use of mobile phones there can be some benefits and drawbacks of the decision. If the phone is available, doctors can be contacted by the management and patients without any problem,` he said. `On the other hand, there are complaints that junior doctors spend lots of time on the phone or using social media,` he said.

`In the past, it was impossible to ban mobile phones because the hospital`s telephone exchange was out of order and the only possible way to contact the doctor was to use mobile phones,` he said.

Now, however, the hospital`s exchange is functional and doctors can be reached on different extensions, he said. A Reporter