Children Hospital at PIMS facilitates over 50,000 children per month

Islamabad : Children Hospital at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has been catering to the needs of child patients reaching hospital from the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi along with various cities including Peshawar, Jhelum, Gujrat, Mardan and other cities from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday reveals that the children hospital provides treatment to an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 child patients per month on average. Children outpatient department receives 1,000 to 1,200 patients in the morning shift while the emergency department receives 800 to 950 child patients daily on average.

The PIMS children hospital has also started operating children OPD near emergency department in the evening shift, from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and it is being done for the first time in a public sector hospital in the region. As many as 150 to 260 child patients reaching OPD per day on average are entitled patients, children of federal government employees while 250 to 320 patients are examined in children surgical OPD majority of which requires surgical procedures, said Deputy Director at PIMS Dr. Waseem Ahmed Khawaja while talking to ‘The News’ on Saturday.

He added that in Medical OPD, majority of child patients are coming with upper respiratory tract infections, general weakness, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections and like ailments while the ENT (Ears, Nose & Throat) OPD examines nearly 100 child patients daily on average.

Of 1,800 to 2,000 child patients examined at ENT department per month, 400 to 500 child patients have to undergo major surgical procedures while 250 to 300 minor surgeries are also performed every month at ENT department, he said.

He added that in 2018, the hospital provided treatment free of cost to as many as 135 child patients suffering from lungs tuberculosis (Pulmonary TB) while from January 2019 till date, the hospital has received 66 patients with the TB.

The children hospital receives at least 200 child patients suffering from various kidney diseases every month while over 200 patients reach hospital with endocrine diseases involving hormone dis-balance, he said.

Dr. Khawaja said a vaccination centre has also been operated at the hospital that provides free of cost vaccines under Expanded Programme on Immunisation to over 250 children per day on average.

He added that nearly 50 child patients reached hospital with difficulty in breathing and they were provided treatment facilities including oxygen and bronchodilator. Also special beds have been arranged in intensive care department for new-born to 13 years old children to facilitate patients suffering from respiratory problems, endocrine problems or post-operative care of patients with eye, ear, nose, throat and brain surgeries, he said.

He added that on average, 60 child patients are provided facility of physiotherapy and 50 patients are provided facility of ultrasound daily. Child patients with different types of cancers are also managed at the children cancer department as over 1,000 child patients suffering from various types of cancers have been provided treatment in last one year, he said.

Well over 2,000 child patients are treated at dental department per month on average while bone marrow transplantations are also being done at the PIMS children hospital, said Dr. Khawaja.