PIC deaths: Three hospital officials get bail

Attendents accused of negligence blamed for 150 deaths among patients who received free medicines at the Institute.

LAHORE: Additional District and Sessions Judge Sheraz Kiani on Monday granted pre-arrest bails to three deputy medical superintendents of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) after they furnished bail bonds of Rs100,000 each. The deputy medical superintendents were accused of negligence blamed for 150 deaths among patients who received free medicines at the Institute.  The judge summoned police record and adjourned the hearing till March 26. PIC deputy medical superintendents Dr Muhammad Amir, Dr Sheikh Waris Gaba and Dr Nasir Mehmood Bhatti had filed the pre-arrest bail petitions contending that they had been implicated in a forged case through a supplementary statement. They informed the court that the case was baseless and malafide on the part of the complainant, who, they said, in collusion with the police and the Punjab government. They requested the court to grant them pre-arrest bails till the final disposal of the petition. According to the FIR, several patients had died due to a reaction to several tainted medicines including Soloprin, Cardiauaston, Isotab and Alfagril.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2012.