Rs 25 Billion Package For PIMS's Expansion Submitted For Approval

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Nov, 2016 ) : Vice Chancellor, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto University, Dr. Javed Akram said on Friday that a package of Rs 25 billion had been submitted to the government for approval to meet growing healthcare needs of people at the hospital.

"On the instruction of the Prime Minister, we have prepared a PC-1 of the expansion plan and submitted to the ministry of planning, development and reforms," he said in a briefing to media and officials of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) here.

Under the package, the existing facilities would be enhanced besides some new projects would be initiated for the patients. Explaining further, he said the trauma center, mortuary, thalassemia center and new paediatric specialties would be made available.

Briefing about JICA financial support to PIMS, he informed that Japan had been assisting this organization since 1980s, just after its establishment, not only through constructing Children Hospital, the Maternal and Child Health Care Centre and Colleges of Nursing and Medical Technologies, but also through technical assistance by Japanese experts.

He said the amount of Japanese assistance throughout the years is more than US$ 60 million. Dr. Javed Akram said now PIMS had become a central hospital, serving patients from across the country, besides working as a center of the human development in the field of medicine.

Responding to a question about Japanese assistance to PIMS, he said it consisted of 10 grant aid projects amounting to 10.8 billion Japanese Yen besides technical cooperation. About Children Hospital, Japan provided grants for construction of building in 1980s, he added.

In order to alleviate neo-natal mortality rate, 200-bed in-patient department and OPD that could accommodate maximum 2000 patients per day, were constructed with the cost of JPY 4.3 billion. Through technical cooperation project by JICA, capacity building of the staffs on pediatric services were provided, he added.

He said in total 81 Japanese experts were dispatched to PIMS, and 30 staffs from PIMS went to Japan for training.

About expansion of facility and provision of equipment, he said due to the increased number of operation and patients and expiration of life of medical equipment, Japanese government provided assistance to build new operation theater block, renovate old operation theater and provide medical equipment, amounting to Japanese Yen 600 million and Japanese Yen 650 million respectively.

The Vice Chancellor said in order to alleviate the maternal mortality rate of Pakistan, the Japanese government built Maternal and Child Health Care Centre (MCH Center), a 125-bed in-patient department and outpatient department that can accommodate maximum 200 patients per day at a cost of Japanese Yen 1.9 billion, and Japanese Yen 560 million respectively.

About capacity building programme, he said through technical cooperation project by JICA, the training on safe motherhood and nutrition were conducted for female medical staffs/workers. Around 41 Japanese experts were dispatched while 11 Pakistani staffs were sent to Japan for training.

Regarding College of Nursing and College of Medical Technologies Construction of Schools, he said in order to improve the quality of service delivery, these schools were built to produce approximately 200 nurses and medical technicians at a cost of Japanese Yen 1.59 billion.

About capacity building, he said through technical cooperation project of nursing education, seven long term and five short term Japanese experts were deputed at this College to improve the education of nursing.

In addition, 13 Pakistani nurses were trained in Japan. Regarding provision of other equipment, he informed that under non-project grant aid for Provision of Industrial Products, industrial products such as forklift at cost of Japanese Yen 110 million that were produced in the disaster-affected areas in Japan were provided to PIMS.

The medical equipment such as radiography and operation table amount to Japanese Yen 110 million, were also provided.