PIMS gets Rs22bn in three years amid staffing, safety concerns

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has received a total budget of around Rs22 billion over the past three years, according to official budget documents obtained by Minute Mirror.

The financial figures have come under scrutiny following the deadly fire in the Mother and Child Health (MCH) Ward on August 26. The incident has raised questions about the hospital’s financial management, staffing levels, maintenance and fire safety arrangements.

According to the documents, PIMS was allocated Rs6.84 billion during the previous financial year. However, the hospital spent Rs7.51 billion, exceeding the allocated amount by around Rs670 million, or Rs67 crore.

For the current financial year, the federal government has allocated Rs7.63 billion to PIMS.

The hospital has also been provided Rs500 million, or Rs50 crore, under the repair and maintenance head in the current budget.

The allocation has attracted particular attention after the fire. Questions are now being raised about whether adequate funds were used to maintain electrical systems, hospital infrastructure and fire safety equipment.

The financial questions have emerged alongside a serious staffing shortage at PIMS.

The hospital has 949 vacant positions against 2,451 sanctioned posts. The vacancies include 385 doctors and clinicians, 363 nurses and 201 paramedical staff.

Health experts have questioned how a major public hospital receiving billions of rupees in government funding continues to face shortages of medical personnel and concerns about infrastructure and safety.

They say staffing gaps can place additional pressure on existing employees and affect patient care, emergency response and hospital management.

The August 26 fire has intensified these concerns.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and directed Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal to visit PIMS and assess the situation. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the prime minister had also ordered a high-powered investigation into the tragedy.

The Establishment Division subsequently suspended National Health Services Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri for 120 days. Capt. (Retd.) Muhammad Mahmood, Secretary Housing and Works, was given additional charge of the Health Secretary for three months.

The developments have increased calls for the investigation to examine not only the immediate cause of the fire but also the hospital’s broader administrative and financial arrangements.

A senior officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that authorities had repeatedly been informed about shortages of staff, equipment and safety facilities.

The officer questioned whether the Rs50 crore allocated for repair and maintenance would be used to address fire safety and infrastructure requirements.

The official spending figures have also raised questions about the reasons for the previous year’s expenditure exceeding the approved allocation by Rs67 crore.

However, the available figures alone do not establish financial wrongdoing. A detailed audit would be required to determine how the additional expenditure was incurred, whether it was properly authorised and where the funds were spent.

PIMS is part of a wider staffing problem affecting federal healthcare facilities in Islamabad. More than 1,470 positions are reportedly vacant across four major government hospitals.

Besides PIMS, the Polyclinic Hospital has 439 vacant positions, the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine has 29, while the Federal General Hospital has more than 57 vacancies.

The combination of large public allocations, vacant positions and concerns over hospital infrastructure has prompted calls for greater transparency in the use of government funds.

The key questions now facing authorities include whether maintenance funds were adequately utilised, who authorised spending beyond the allocated budget, whether previous warnings were acted upon and whether the investigation into the PIMS fire will examine possible administrative or financial failures.

A comprehensive audit and transparent investigation could help determine whether the problems resulted from insufficient resources, poor utilisation of available funds, weak oversight or administrative failures.

Officials have yet to make public a detailed audit of PIMS expenditure or announce a firm timeline for filling the hospital’s vacant positions.