Advancing Healthcare Facilities for the people of Multan

Multan, Pakistan’s 7^th largest city has been hailed as the cultural hub of Pakistan and the city of shrines and mosques. According to the 2017 consensus, it has a population of over 4.7 million which is increasing with every passing day. The rapid increase in population demands a rapid increase in the development and sustenance of social institutions like schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, and commercial buildings.

As of now, the situation of the available health facilities in Multan, as compared with the need of the population is alarming. Currently, there is only one tertiary care hospital in Multan, which is Tertiary Care Hospital Nishtar that caters to the need of the people of Multan as well as the surrounding districts. This hospital lacks adequate facilities to cater to such a large population.

One of the ultimate goals of the healthcare system is the delivery of good medical care to patients. Therefore, taking notice of the scarcity of health care services in such a densely populated city, the Government of Punjab in association with the Infrastructure Development Authority of Punjab (IDAP) has taken steps for the development of Tertiary Care Hospital Nishtar II, Multan which will have state-of-the-art medical facilities with modern equipment and technologies, as an extension of the existing Nishtar Hospital. Nishtar II hospital is being built at an area of 58 acres on Shujaabad road which connects Multan with several of its neighboring tehsils.

Nishtar II Hospital will have the following departmental facilities available for thousands of patients:

• Emergency Department
• Outpatient department
• Trauma Center
• Advanced OTs, ICUs, and HDUs
• State-of-the-art Pathology and Radiology labs including but not limited to MRI and CT scan facilities
• Endoscopy and ECG unit
• Department of Neurosciences
• Orthopedic Department
• Department of Physiotherapy
• Dialysis Department
• Department of gynecology
• Pediatric surgery and medicine
• General surgery and medicine

The hospital will employ highly qualified medical, surgical, and nursing staff including obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, neonatologists, physiologists, and radiologists. The surgical rooms, receptions, and laboratories will be equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technologies to assist in patient care as well as patient record keeping, ensuring the safest and most efficient ways of handling information.

Phase 1 of the hospital includes a 500-bedded hospital block with staff accommodation and its allied facilities and infrastructure. The details of the distribution of beds are as follows:

• Medicine units – 50 beds
• Surgery units – 60 beds
• Emergency – 120 beds
• Pediatrics surgery and medicine units – 50 beds
• Modular theatres – 12 beds
• Neurosciences units – 60 beds
• Gynecology units – 50 beds
• Orthopedics units – 60 beds
• ICU – 50 Beds

Apart from the health facilities, the hospital will also have an adjoining medical and nursing college where students will be trained by the best professionals in the field, simultaneously providing them with practical training in the hospital.

Tertiary Care Hospital Nishtar II will contribute towards the advancement of local healthcare by promoting medical research and imparting training and education for the development of excellent medical human resource in the region.