The unique rules and regulations of the administration of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), the central government hospital in Islamabad, have once again come under question, as a company providing substandard sanitation services has been granted a further one year extension despite heavy fines and multiple warning notices.
According to official documents, the company responsible for sanitation services at PIMS, Imran and Co, was issued a total of 15 warning notices at different times. These notices highlighted serious issues including failure to provide required sanitation supplies during the tender period, shortage of cleaning machines and equipment, and a severe lack of manpower. The documents also revealed that fines exceeding 60 million rupees were recovered from the company during the current year. A PIMS spokesperson has confirmed that show cause notices were also issued to the company along with the fines.
As per the documents, a special committee formed this year to review the performance of Imran and Co formally expressed dissatisfaction over the company’s overall performance. The committee report stated that there was a severe shortage of sanitation staff during evening and night shifts, causing difficulties for patients and their attendants. Despite this, in a surprising move, the PIMS Purchase Department, with the approval of the Executive Director PIMS, approved a one-year extension for the company without floating a new tender.
Furthermore, even after the extension notification was issued in November, the company was served with three additional warning notices, raising further questions over the administration’s decision. Contrary to claims of transparency and accountability, this step by the PIMS administration indicates an urgent need to review the contracting system and performance based decision making in government hospitals. Patients, medical professionals, and civil society have demanded a high level investigation into the matter to ensure the protection of public health and public resources.
