PIMS welfare fund No increase
No increase in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences welfare fund
PIMS and FGSH getting Rs 15 million and Rs 2 million against Rs 70 million and Rs 10 million requirement respectively
ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Health has made no increase in Social Welfare Fund of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH), commonly known as Policlinic, for last 10 years, causing serious problem for the poor patients to get free medicines, sources told Daily times on Sunday.
They said after passing six months of every fiscal year the patients have to get medical facilities by paying from their own pocket.
PIMS: According to sources, Ministry of Health releases Rs 15 million every year to PIMS and Rs 2 million to Policlinic as welfare fund. There is no increase in this fund for last 10 years, despite the fact that prices of medicines are increasing rapidly due to price hike and inflation.
Sources said according to PIMS policy an indoor patient could get free medicines up to worth of Rs 2,000 and outdoor patient up to Rs 1,000 by providing a letter of local Zakat Committee.
Due to huge number of applications and lack of funds, the social welfare office can entertain only 25 percent applications, the sources maintained.
PIMS Social Welfare Officer Tariq Mehmood Chohan told Daily Times that if they started entertaining all applicants the fund would be consumed within three months.
“Almost 16,000 patients get relief from PIMS social welfare office (SWO) every year, which means each patient gets Rs 937 on average,” he said, adding PIMS administration has sent a request to Ministry of Health to increase the welfare fund up to Rs 70 million.
PIMS Executive Director Dr Mehmood Jamal said PIMS had received the budget document from the Ministry on Thursday and he was not sure whether there was any increase in social welfare fund. “I will look in to the matter,” he said on Sunday while talking to Daily Times.
Polyclinic: Sources in Policlinic SWO said almost 3,000 patients were getting medical facilities every year but due to huge number of patients the amount of fund should be increased from Rs 2 million to Rs 10 million.
Sohail Jamil, a citizen, said his mother was a diabetes patient and he had tried many times to get free insulin from Polyclinic SWO, but the office never entertained his application.
Another resident Shahid Nazir said his father was high blood pressure patient. He contacted SWO many times but failed to get free medicines.Daily times
