Farewell visits: Army chief lays foundation for new medical training block

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a new training block of the Armed Forces Post Graduate Institute in Rawalpindi.

In a statement issued by the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday, the army chief visited the Combined Medical Hospital (CMH) and Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi as part of his farewell visits.

Accompanied by Surgeon General Lieutenant General Nigar Johar, Geen Bajwa visited various setups of the Army Medical Corps.

During a visit to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), he was briefed by the hospital’s commandant Major General Muhammad Mohsin Qureshi on the recently-upgraded modern facilities at the hospital.

COAS was briefed that medical care has been planned as per international best practices with a focus on patient care.

Given that CMH is frequented by civilians as well, special counters have been established for facilitating civilian/ non-entitled patients.

He was told that efforts are being made to provide patient-friendly environment and allied facilities for patients’ attendants.

COAS was also shown newly established control room to train doctors through live surgery process in the Academic Centre, designed and established to facilitate medical students to gain a better understanding of surgical procedures.

COAS appreciated the efforts of Army Medical Corps in providing quality health care and modern rehabilitation services to members of the armed forces, their families and civilian patients.

Amongst other facilities, Shuhada Families and veterans’ Medical facilitation Center provides disruption-free basic healthcare facilities including blood sampling, medicines and checkup to families of martyrs’ and senior veterans up to the age of 75 years.

The upgraded pharmacy now entertains some 3,000 patients daily.

Later COAS visited newly constructed Soldiers’ guestrooms, newly established Army Help Center and upgraded facilities of Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology.

COAS appreciated the doctors and healthcare professionals of AMC for their selfless devotion to duty and monumental work.

Lauding the immense improvements incorporated in healthcare infrastructure, the army chief said that quality healthcare for soldiers and their families is a cardinal feature of hte army’s welfare regime and critical for morale of troops.

Earlier, upon his arrival at CMH, Army Chief Gen Bajwa was received by Rawalpindi Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza.