Measles outbreak: LHC slams CM over missing inquiry

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has lashed out at the Punjab government for its continued failure to produce an inquiry report of the measles outbreak that killed dozens of children in the province earlier this year. The court has repeatedly sought the report, prepared by a three-member committee headed by Dr Zafar Iqbal, principal of Shaikh Zayed Hospital. An additional advocate general told the court on Wednesday that the report was with the chief minister. Justice Khalid Mahmood expressed “extreme displeasure”, saying that people were dying and the chief minister was sitting on the report. He said that the chief minister was a public employee and public welfare was his prime responsibility. He demanded that the report be produced within three days and adjourned the hearing till October 14. The petitioner had asked the court to take action against Health Department officers culpable in the measles outbreak. He said that the government had not taken preventive measures against the disease, not even keeping the measles vaccine in stock. It had last conducted a measles vaccination drive three years ago, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2013.