Revamped HFH serving patients for two weeks without OTs

Rawalpindi:The departments in the New Block of Holy Family Hospital (HFH) have been made operational some two weeks back after nine-and-a-half months but still a number of jobs are yet to be done by the Communication and Works Department of the Government of the Punjab to make the majority of the operations theatres functional.

The intensive care unit and coronary care unit of the HFH could not be made functional as yet while work at the dialysis unit at the nephrology department of the hospital is yet to be done to make it operational. The outpatient department and emergency department of the hospital have, however, started working properly as almost all the departments including medical and surgical units have been made operational.

It is important to mention that work for strategic transformation/revamping of HFH was started on October 22 last year and initially, February 22, 2024 had been given as the deadline for the completion of revamping that was changed to March 31 this year and then in the first week of April, the new deadline was set as May 20 by the C & W department. After May 20 this year, June 30 was given as the completion date for the revamping work but the hospital could be made operational in the second week of August with many jobs awaiting completion.

The work for supply of biomedical gases to ICU and OTs could not be finalized as yet and it is almost impossible to accommodate hundreds of patients visiting the hospital in need of surgical procedures, said Principal Rawalpindi Medical College and In-charge Allied Hospitals Professor Dr. Jahangir Sarwar Khan while talking to ‘The News’ on Monday.

He added that the HFH has now started serving patients in OPDs and in wards and it is not possible to keep patients in wards for weeks who are requiring surgeries. It is also difficult for the healthcare staff to deny services to the patients visiting the hospital in need of some surgical procedures, he said.

He added the completion of work can be done on urgent basis to save thousands of patients from suffering. The building department should take the matter seriously and should understand the miseries of the poor patients reaching HFH and must finalize commissioning and testing of bio medical gases at the OTs, ICU, CCU and dialysis unit, said Professor Jahangir. He added the hospital administration has repeatedly requested the building department to finalise the jobs at the critical units enabling the hospital to work smoothly.