No price control in place for heart stents, SC told
Court takes up fraud case of fixing substandard stents in cardiac patients
Court takes up fraud case of fixing substandard stents in cardiac patients. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
The federal government has admitted before the Supreme Court that there is no price control mechanism on heart stents in the country.
A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, on Wednesday took up the fraud case of fixing substandard stents in cardiac patients during heart surgeries.
The court has taken suo motu notice of the sale of unregistered, overpriced and substandard stents after names of a few hospitals, including the Mayo Hospital, surfaced in the media.
Not only stents, almost every medical device is unregistered
The bench asked the Drug Regularity Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to immediately decide the applications regarding stent registration. It also directed the health ministry and DRAP to submit a comprehensive report regarding the import, price and standard of stents.
The court asked the health secretary to convene a meeting of all relevant stakeholders, including the provincial departments concerned, without delay.
Additional Attorney General Waqar Rana submitted that there were 68 kinds of registered stents. However, he admitted that there was no price control mechanism on stents in the country and stated that all relevant departments were being consulted to resolve the issue.
The chief justice remarked: “The basic aim of this proceeding is to evolve a price control mechanism on heart stents so that poor people can easily purchase them.”
He observed that no illness was bigger than the heart disease, as they witnessed the experience yesterday (Tuesday). “We will not give up on this issue.”
The chief justice also urged the media to avoid creating panic in society regarding the sale of heart stents, saying “If it (the media) does not stop, then they may pass an order to refrain it from conducting talk-shows.”
A DRAP official informed the bench that 37 applications regarding registration of heart stents was pending with it and added that those would be disposed of soon.
Meanwhile, the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) has submitted a report in the Supreme Court. It states that on the complaint of Toseef Ashraf that a substandard stent was placed in his heart during his treatment in the Mayo Hospital.
DRAP to introduce price control regime for stents
An FIA team, accompanied by a drug inspector visited the Mayo Hospital’s cardiac ward. The drug inspector inspected the stents and concluded that there was no registration number on the pack of stents, the report says, adding, the drug inspector took the stents into possession and referred the matter to the provincial quality control board (PQCB).
Moreover, the inquiry has been finalised against the Pak Punjab Cardex Medical System and it has been found that the company was involved in selling stents in an illegal way in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory of the Mayo Hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2017.
The federal government has admitted before the Supreme Court that there is no price control mechanism on heart stents in the country.
A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, on Wednesday took up the fraud case of fixing substandard stents in cardiac patients during heart surgeries.
The court has taken suo motu notice of the sale of unregistered, overpriced and substandard stents after names of a few hospitals, including the Mayo Hospital, surfaced in the media.
Not only stents, almost every medical device is unregistered
The bench asked the Drug Regularity Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to immediately decide the applications regarding stent registration. It also directed the health ministry and DRAP to submit a comprehensive report regarding the import, price and standard of stents.
The court asked the health secretary to convene a meeting of all relevant stakeholders, including the provincial departments concerned, without delay.
Additional Attorney General Waqar Rana submitted that there were 68 kinds of registered stents. However, he admitted that there was no price control mechanism on stents in the country and stated that all relevant departments were being consulted to resolve the issue.
The chief justice remarked: “The basic aim of this proceeding is to evolve a price control mechanism on heart stents so that poor people can easily purchase them.”
He observed that no illness was bigger than the heart disease, as they witnessed the experience yesterday (Tuesday). “We will not give up on this issue.”
The chief justice also urged the media to avoid creating panic in society regarding the sale of heart stents, saying “If it (the media) does not stop, then they may pass an order to refrain it from conducting talk-shows.”
A DRAP official informed the bench that 37 applications regarding registration of heart stents was pending with it and added that those would be disposed of soon.
Meanwhile, the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) has submitted a report in the Supreme Court. It states that on the complaint of Toseef Ashraf that a substandard stent was placed in his heart during his treatment in the Mayo Hospital.
DRAP to introduce price control regime for stents
An FIA team, accompanied by a drug inspector visited the Mayo Hospital’s cardiac ward. The drug inspector inspected the stents and concluded that there was no registration number on the pack of stents, the report says, adding, the drug inspector took the stents into possession and referred the matter to the provincial quality control board (PQCB).
Moreover, the inquiry has been finalised against the Pak Punjab Cardex Medical System and it has been found that the company was involved in selling stents in an illegal way in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory of the Mayo Hospital.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2017.