Latest news with #RawalpindiInstituteofCardiology
Express Tribune
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Express Tribune
Shuttle service for patients falls into disrepair
The vehicles parked in an open area have suffered extensive damage due to neglect. PHOTOS: EXPRESS Two electric vehicles introduced at the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC) to transport elderly and critically ill patients from the main gate to the emergency and OPD units have become completely non-functional and now lie abandoned, effectively turning into scrap. The vehicles, which cost around Rs1 million, were left parked in an open area on hospital grounds and have suffered extensive damage due to neglect. Parts, including electric batteries and other components, have reportedly been stolen. There are also allegations that staff removed the functional tires and replaced them with unusable ones. Exposure to sun and rain has caused rusting and peeling paint, rendering the vehicles unusable. Initially, the vehicles were part of a much-lauded service aimed at improving patient access and reducing congestion in front of the emergency area. However, within months, the service was first partially suspended and later discontinued altogether due to a lack of funds for repairs. Hospital mechanics have declared the vehicles beyond repair unless significant funding is made available. The administration is now considering either repairing the vehicles or officially decommissioning them. Meanwhile, congestion has once again become a problem at the hospital's emergency and OPD entrances. Parking has been outsourced to a private contractor who has reportedly increased rates, adding to patient inconvenience. Once seen as a solution for patient ease and hospital traffic, the dilapidated vehicles have now become a financial and administrative burden.
Express Tribune
22-04-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
RIC expansion project launched
In the wake of increasing number of patients and their attendants at the Outpatient Department (OPD) of the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC), Federal Minister for Railways, Muhammad Hanif Abbasi on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of a new OPD block, an additional waiting area, a parking zone, and a facilitation centre. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs400 million. Speaking to the media during the foundation stone ceremony, the minister said that the RIC was inaugurated in 2013 and had benefited countless patients, including himself. "Presently, around 3,000 patients visit the OPD daily, and when attendants are included, the number rises to nearly 6,000," he said, adding the surge in footfall made the expansion — including the new OPD block, parking area, waiting lounge, and facilitation center — essential. Abbasi informed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved Rs400m in funding for the project, of which Rs250m has been released while the remaining Rs150m would be disbursed soon. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by June 30 this year, significantly improving facilities for patients. Abbasi further revealed that kidney transplants would commence at Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute (PKLI) in Rawalpindi this September. Speaking further, the minister emphasised the urgent need for clean water, improved food quality, and the complete eradication of encroachments. He informed that the Food Authority had begun conducting raids to ensure the provision of clean water and hygienic food in the railway system. "The same anti-encroachment model being implemented in Punjab is now being applied in the railways." "All eight divisional superintendents of the Pakistan Railways have been instructed to ensure that not even an inch of government land remains encroached upon," Abbasi said, adding Punjab's senior minister Maryam Aurangzeb was providing strong support in this effort.
