Concerns raised over non-functional ICU at Nishtar Hospital Multan-II

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Mar, 2026) Concerns have been expressed by citizens and health observers regarding the underutilization of facilities at Nishtar Hospital Multan-II, particularly the non-operational Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which was established to share the patient load of Nishtar Hospital Multan.

According to available details, the modern healthcare facility, developed at a cost of billions of rupees, includes a 60-bed ICU. However, the unit is yet to become fully functional. As a result, patients requiring critical care during surgery or treatment at Nishtar-II are being referred to Nishtar-I, located at a considerable distance, causing inconvenience in emergency situations.

According to health experts, ICUs are among the most critical components of any teaching hospital, ensuring timely management of serious cases. Despite the establishment of Nishtar-II to ease the burden on the older hospital, patients at Nishtar-I still face delays in accessing ICU beds due to high demand.

Local residents, including Sajjad Ahmed Kharral, Rao Aleem Sarwar Shah Bukhari, and many others expressed concern over the situation and urged the authorities to take immediate steps for activation of the ICU at Nishtar-II.

They maintained that the shortage of anesthesiologists, trained nurses, technologists, and support staff remains a key hurdle in making the unit operational.

Sources further indicated that several posts of anesthesiology doctors are currently vacant, while operational challenges are also being managed through limited available staff. The citizens emphasized that addressing human resource gaps could significantly improve service delivery at the new facility.

They appealed to the health department to expedite recruitment and ensure availability of trained personnel so that the intended objective of reducing patient load on Nishtar-I can be achieved effectively.

Healthcare stakeholders believe that timely intervention and administrative focus can help utilize the full potential of Nishtar-II, providing much-needed relief to patients across South Punjab and adjoining regions.