Islamabad: Newly appointed Executive Director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Dr Muhammad Salman on Sunday assumed charge of his office and vowed to take immediate corrective measures to address shortcomings identified by the inquiry committee and prevent recurrence of such incidents at the hospital.
Soon after assuming charge, Dr Salman convened a meeting of heads of various departments, attended by PIMS administration officials and directors, to review the hospital’s overall functioning and discuss measures to improve service delivery and patient safety.
Following the meeting, the new executive director also visited different sections of the hospital to assess facilities and operational arrangements.
Talking to the media, Dr Salman said the issues and shortcomings identified by the inquiry committee would be addressed on a priority basis.
He said patient safety would remain the foremost priority and short-term corrective measures would be implemented to strengthen the hospital’s systems and prevent incidents similar to the recent tragedy in the future.
‘We will take short-term corrective actions to improve the system and ensure that such incidents do not happen again,’ he said.
The PIMS executive director said the administration would also focus on improving coordination among different departments and strengthening emergency and safety arrangements.
He said the hospital was facing a heavy patient load and the ministry would be approached to strengthen the referral system, enabling patients to receive treatment at other suitable healthcare facilities and reducing pressure on PIMS.
Dr Salman said efforts would be made to improve the overall working environment, management and quality of healthcare services at the country’s major public-sector hospital.
