Public hospitals to give all drugs, tests on-site

New policy mandates patients be given prescribed medicines before discharge

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has issued a policy requiring all public hospitals to ensure that patients receive all medicines and diagnostic tests from within hospital premises during treatment.

Under the policy, patients must also be provided with prescribed medicines for home use at the time of discharge.

Hospitals in Rawalpindi have been directed to fully implement the new rules, with action to be taken against administrators or doctors who fail to comply.

The provincial health department has formally instructed Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, Holy Family Hospital, and Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital to eliminate the practice of referring patients to private pharmacies or laboratories.

Medical superintendents will be held responsible for ensuring that prescribed medicines and tests are available in-house.

Doctors will be required to prescribe only those medicines stocked within the hospital. Non-compliance will result in a show-cause notice followed by disciplinary measures.

Previously, patients at government hospitals in Rawalpindi and other cities were often compelled to buy medicines from outside stores and undergo tests at private laboratories located near hospital gates — adding significant costs despite being treated in public facilities.

The new policy, initiated following Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's notice, makes it mandatory for hospitals to provide all required medicines and tests internally, including take-home prescriptions at discharge.