Sindh CM green-lights purchase of medical supplies, setting up ICU, isolation centres

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Monday green-lit the purchase of new medical supplies, as well as a plan to set up intensive care units (ICU) and isolation centres in existing hospitals, a press release from the provincial government read.

Presiding over meetings of the Sindh health department's quarantine and isolation accommodation committee, Shah said the isolation centres in every district headquarters must have all required facilities, including water, drainage systems, electricity, solid waste disposal, and washrooms.

On the committee's recommendation, the CM directed Syed Salman Shah, the director-general of Sindh's Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), to arrange large halls to set up isolation centres in every district headquarters.

The PDMA official was also advised to provide beds, fans, and other basic facilities. It was decided during the meeting that every facility would have the facilities of washrooms, electricity, water, drainage system, and waste disposal.

Isolation, ICUs

The meeting decided to establish 193-bed isolation facilities and 104-bed ICUs in six different hospitals of Karachi.

Isolation facilities would be set up in Dr Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), and Lyari General Hospital, with 59, 65, and 69 beds, respectively.

ICUs would be set up in Dr Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital, JPMC, Lyari General Hospital, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto (SMBB) Accident Emergency & Trauma Centre, Dow University of Health Sciences' (DUHS) Ojha campus, and Sindh Services Hospital, with 12, 15, 18, 26, 8, and 25 beds, respectively.

The chief minister also decided to establish 166-bed isolation facilities in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Gambat, Khairpur, and Shaheed Benazirabad.

There would be a 23-bed isolation facility and 15-bed ICU at Liaquat University Hyderabad, 50-bed isolation facility and 10-bed ICU at Chandka Medical College Hospital Larkana, and 20-bed isolation facility and 10-bed ICU at Ghulam Mohammad Mahar Medical College Hospital Sukkur.

Three-bed isolation facility and 17-bed ICU at GIMS Gambat, 50-bed isolation facility and nine-bed ICU at Civil Hospital Khairpur, and 20-bed isolation facility and 10-bed ICU at PMC Hospital, Shaheed Benazirabad would be set up as well.

Procurement

The chief minister was told that the procurement committee has approved procurement of 200 thermal guns, 50 vital signs monitors, 10,000 sanitisers of 1000 ml each, 200 syringe pump, 17 BIPAP systems, 300 packets of Resochin (tablets), oxygen cylinders, regulators, Tyvek suit, pumps for sanitisers, biohazard bags, PCR kits with diagnostic system, extraction kits, VTM, CR Systems, and suction machines.

The chief minister added that it was up to the procurement committee — comprising experts — to approve the material required by the concerned doctors. The relevant payment would be made by the Emergency Fund Committee.

Medical Supplies

The meeting also decided to purchase BP apparatus, stethoscopes, 3M surgical masts, ventilators, monitors, mobile x-ray and ECG machines, PCR machines, ICU bed, incinerators, and point-of-care molecular diagnostic system.