Low-capacity PIMS burns centre turning patients away
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| The Spokesman photo by SALMAN MUSHTAQ |
ISLAMABAD: The 20-bed Burns Care Center in Pakistan Institute of Medical Scientists has started refusing to accept more patients owing to a severe lack of space. The center can only stretch itself to accommodating up to 25 to 30 patients.
Ever since the center opened in 2007, no effort has been made to increase its capacity. An insider has revealed that the situation is so dire that eight stretchers are placed in a room with a capacity of barely four. “The exceeding number of patients can lead to various infections which, in turn, can worsen the condition of the in-patients,” he feared.
When contacted, BCC head Dr Tariq Iqbal confirmed that they were handling more patients than their strength, but he hoped that the issue could be resolved if the authorities paid attention to it. Many patients coming from the KP and Punjab are unable to be admitted owing to lack of rooms, he added. "Everyone wants to come here as the otherwise costly burn treatment is free of cost here," he added further.
He further suggested that if well facilitated burns centers are made in every well populated city, specifically in Rawalpindi and Peshawar, their burden can subside considerably. It is pertinent to mention here that immediate treatment of a burn victim is crucial to counter the injury and most patients lose that time while travelling to hospitals.
A resident of Attock, Shamim Akhtar, was found helpless outside the burns center as her young son, whose lower half had been burned badly, was refused admission.
"I first went to the local hospital in Attock where they treated my son as much as they could but suggested that I go to Islamabad for proper treatment". Upon arriving here at noon, the burn center dressed the wounds but did not admit my son, saying that they didn't have a single bed available. "We are poor people, the journey cost so much money but even then they did not admit my son. We'll go back now and pray to Allah, as that's all we can do," she lamented.
Ever since the center opened in 2007, no effort has been made to increase its capacity. An insider has revealed that the situation is so dire that eight stretchers are placed in a room with a capacity of barely four. “The exceeding number of patients can lead to various infections which, in turn, can worsen the condition of the in-patients,” he feared.
When contacted, BCC head Dr Tariq Iqbal confirmed that they were handling more patients than their strength, but he hoped that the issue could be resolved if the authorities paid attention to it. Many patients coming from the KP and Punjab are unable to be admitted owing to lack of rooms, he added. "Everyone wants to come here as the otherwise costly burn treatment is free of cost here," he added further.
He further suggested that if well facilitated burns centers are made in every well populated city, specifically in Rawalpindi and Peshawar, their burden can subside considerably. It is pertinent to mention here that immediate treatment of a burn victim is crucial to counter the injury and most patients lose that time while travelling to hospitals.
A resident of Attock, Shamim Akhtar, was found helpless outside the burns center as her young son, whose lower half had been burned badly, was refused admission.
"I first went to the local hospital in Attock where they treated my son as much as they could but suggested that I go to Islamabad for proper treatment". Upon arriving here at noon, the burn center dressed the wounds but did not admit my son, saying that they didn't have a single bed available. "We are poor people, the journey cost so much money but even then they did not admit my son. We'll go back now and pray to Allah, as that's all we can do," she lamented.
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