ISLAMABAD, Dec 17: A heart patient entitled to official medical treatment missed a couple of heart beats with shock after failing to find any medicine on a strip of tablets issued to him from the Federal Government Services Hospital (FGSH), also known as Poly Clinic.

S.M. Bashir, a retired government servant and a chronic heart patient, sent his son, Mohammad Awais, also a government servant, to the hospital, on Monday to get the medicines, including a drug called “Pulse”.

However, when Mr Bashir received the strip and pressed a blister, he found it empty. “He then pushed all the ten blisters from the hard side without tampering the packing, only to discover that it did not contain any tablets,” Mr Awais informed Dawn.

He said the heart specialist concerned had recommended five medicines, out of which he got only three and, that too, after waiting for over three hours at different counters.

He said he visited the hospital fortnightly to get father’s medicines, adding that it was for the first time that he had such an experience.

“To get the medicine from the hospital is already a tedious task as a patient has to get approval from the medical superintendent and then wait in queues at different counters, only to be told that just few of the required medicines are available,” Mr Awais said.

Meanwhile, a hospital official concerned, on condition of anonymity, told this reporter that the hospital had no authority to take action against any pharmaceutical company responsible for such a glitch. However, the hospital can bring the incident into the notice of the health ministry, which has the authority to take any action in this regard.

He added that the medicine could be replaced if the patient brought it to him, saying it was not possible to inspect each medicine as the hospital received thousands of cartons.

Mr Awais has also approached the Consumer Complaint Cell (CCC) to register his complaint. Nadir Altaf advocate, in charge of the CCC, told Dawn that the cell was writing letters to the pharmaceutical company concerned, district health officer and the MS of the hospital. After receiving their reply, the CCC will consider to move the Drug Court or not, he said.

He was of the view that the incident was in violation of the Drugs Act of 1976.

Meanwhile, Dr Zafar Mirza of The Network for Consumers Protection said the incident highlighted the quality of services being provided by the public health institutions at the tertiary level and, that too, in the federal capital.

He also urged the federal minister to take notice of the incident.