January 29, 2003	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 25,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 28: Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) management will lodge a complaint with the health ministry against a renowned pathology lab for an erroneous diagnosis which created unnecessary panic in the hospital.

An official source told Dawn that the management was in the process of writing a letter to the director general health, Maj-Gen Mohammad Aslam (retired), inviting his attention towards a wrong diagnosis report, which stated that a patient admitted in the hospital contracted plague, the most deadliest contagious disease.

The management has also asked the ministry to take some punitive measures against the laboratory to avoid irresponsible diagnosis in future, he added.

The source said the diagnostic report sent jitters among both the doctors attending the patient, Abdul Wahid, as well as the hospital management, which isolated the medical ward II after shifting the other patients admitted in the ward.

Subsequently, the public health department of the National Institute of Health (NIH) was also called to conduct a thorough investigation, he added.

He said the NIH health experts, however, suggested to the hospital management to isolate the entire corridor leading to the patient’s bed.

The hospital administration even switched off the airconditioning system and sealed the air ducts as a precautionary measure to avoid spread of the disease, in case it was really plague, he added.

“The experts after the investigation pronounced that the patient was not suffering from plague.”

Later the hospital management again conducted a diagnostic test of the patient from a different pathology lab, where it was discovered that the patient was suffering from “pseudomonas” bacteria, usually developed among the patients who have undergone a major surgery, the source said.

The patient was admitted in the hospital few days ago with severe pneumonia, however, he died late Monday night.

A doctor on condition of anonymity said presence of this bacteria was not a unique phenomenon and it usually thrives on wounds or septic but was preventable.

He said the bacteria was also present among common people but develops among the patients suffering with weaknesses. The bacteria can be treated by administering third generation antibiotic “Cephalosporin”, he added.

Meanwhile, the hospital management has isolated the ward and restricted the entry of staff.

The source said the ward would be opened after complete fumigation.