PIC deaths: ‘Suggest steps to avoid repetition’

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday sought reply from the Punjab government about steps that can be taken to avoid reoccurrence of an incident like the fatal poisoning of Punjab Institute of Cardiology patients by substandard medicine. The judge directed the government to file its reply by June 12. Justice Umar Ata Bandial issued this order on a petition seeking a transparent policy to purchase medicines for public hospitals and action against those responsible for the deaths caused by substandard medicine. The petitioner alleged that quality medicines were not provided at public hospitals. He said government officials, including the drug inspectors and chief executives of the hospitals, were complicit in this. He regretted that the government was keeping no check on the hospitals to ensure proper medicines at these hospitals.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2012.