New Pims executive director pledges steps to prevent recurrence of incidents

• Efforts to be made to ensure patients’ safety: Dr Salman.
• Making efforts to provide better, faster services: Pims ED.
• Dr Salman says Pims has “very heavy patient” load.

ISLAMABAD: The newly appointed executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Sunday pledged measures to prevent a recurrence of the incident that claimed the lives of 14 infants.

Speaking to the media after assuming charge, Dr Muhammad Salman said that the administration will try to resolve all issues based on the inquiry committee’s report.

Dr Salman took charge as the Pims executive director after the government suspended several officials following the deadly fire at the hospital’s gynaecology ward that claimed the lives of 14 infants on August 26.

The nursery housed 15 newborns at the time of the incident, according to Pims officials, with only one infant rescued.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to review the incident, where the inquiry committee’s interim report was presented to him.

During the meeting, the prime minister directed that the eight people, including Pims Executive Director Professor Dr Imran Sikandar, identified by the committee be suspended immediately and that action be initiated against them without delay.

Prior to that, the prime minister had suspended Federal Health Secretary Aslam Ghori over the deadly incident.

Dr Salman — who is also the chief executive officer of the National Institute of Health, Islamabad — was placed at the disposal of Pims as executive director on a deputation basis for a period of three years, according to state media.

During today’s media talk, he said that efforts would be made to ensure patients’ safety and provide better healthcare facilities at Pims.

“We are making efforts; we will have to provide better and faster services,” Dr Salman said.

Referring to two recent incidents at the hospital, he said that the administration would develop a strategy to prevent such incidents from occurring again.

“Pims has a very heavy patient load,” Dr Salman said, adding that steps would be taken to provide healthcare facilities to the large number of patients visiting the hospital.

He said that the hospital administration would also speak to the ministry to seek better facilities for patients.