LAHORE – Owing to its location and comparatively better healthcare facilities, the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is overburdened, forcing its administration to gradually increase space and bed capacity to accommodate more patients at the Emergency and the Indoors.
The Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is the only tertiary care hospital providing 100 per cent free drugs at Emergency and Indoors besides most of the operative medicines for emergency and scheduled surgical procedures at its Operation Theatres.
Unlike other teaching hospitals, there is no parking issue at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital as enough space is allocated for the purpose while security cameras are averting incidents of vehicles theft from the premises.
“Yes, space is an issue as people prefer to come here due to better healthcare facilities and easy access due to its location. Patients are getting 100 per cent free medicines at Emergency and Indoors. Majority of the operative medicines are also provided free of cost to the patients”, said Medical Superintendent Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Dr Ijaz Sheikh, adding, the management was gradually increasing hospital capacity with government support and economic assistance of philanthropists to meet the challenge of ever increasing number of patients.
“Over 1,000 patients are daily treated at Emergency while those coming to OPD are well over 2,500. Existing bed capacity at Indoors is 703 while that at Emergency is 100. Such a huge number of patients at Emergency and OPD also needed extra bed capacity at Indoors. By the end of this year, the collective bed capacity at Emergency and Indoors will be enhanced to 890,” said Dr Ijaz Sheikh adding newly established 22 bed dermatology ward and 18 bed cardiology ward have become functional. In the cardiology ward, he said, there was 8 bed Coronary Care Unit.
“High Dependency Unit with 20 bed capacity and four operation rooms will be established in Gynae Block. This will be functional by the end of current year”, he said, adding, Institute of Gynae would also be established in the hospital. He said that PC1 of Institute of Gynae has been prepared and work on the project would be started after getting final approval.
Answering a query about finalisation of rate contracts for the purchase of medicines in bulk during the current fiscal year, he said that existing agreements with firms were valid till September. Before the expiry of existing agreements, he said, new rate contracts would be finalised to ensure purchase of medicines at lower price and to avoid costly local purchase.