PIMS Radiology Department becomes a success story

ISLAMAAD - Radiology Department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), is the first ever department in the twin cities hospitals that has the facility of Health Management Information System (HMIS), a computerised system meant for hospital operations.
Head of Radiology department, PIMS, Dr Shazia Farooqi said this in an exclusive interview with TheNation on Monday. She said that through this new computerised system by just entering ID of the patient in any computer of the hospital one could check the history of the patients. After Agha Khan Hospital in Karachi the Radiology department of PIMS adopted that state-of-the-art technology, she further said. Giving details, she said, “The department is equipped with 1.5 Tesla MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), 16 Slice MDCT, Doppler ultrasound machines and conventional x-ray machines.” To a query, she told that the MRI was used for diagnostic purposes in cases of head injuries, brain tumors and spinal cord problems. A patient has to pay at least Rs5,000 to Rs7,000 for the facility at private set-ups. Dr Shazia informed that the bulk of the work comprised of routine radiological examination of chest, abdomen, spine and extremities.
The procedures done under fluoroscopy control include barium investigations for the gastrointestinal tract, hysterosalpingograms for the female genital tract and a number of procedures for diagnostic and therapeutic intervention for hepatobiliary system, she added. She said that after assuming her office as head of PIMS Radiology department in 2005, she requested the federal government to release Rs200 million funds to equip this department with modern techniques. “Such huge sum of money has never been spent since the establishment of this department in 1986,” she added. She informed that tender for the purchase of new ultrasound machines has been flouted however owing to delay in release of funds for the purpose the department could not succeed in purchasing them.