LAHORE: The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has closed 16 operating theatres of public and private hospitals in four districts of the province.

The action was taken in the districts of Lahore, Sialkot, Bhakkar and Layyah on account of unsatisfactory sterilisation arrangements and ignoring the Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS) prescribed by the commission.

According to a press release issued on Saturday, the PHC inspection teams visited hospitals from Jan 6 to 9 and closed the operating theatres due to the alarming ratio of infections spreading there.

The PHC has barred the managements of these hospitals from performing surgical procedures at these theatres until they meet the standards.

According to a PHC spokesperson, the swabs were taken from the frequently used items in the theatres, including surgical instruments, tables etc which were found infectious.

The hospitals where the operating theatres were closed include: Government Sardar Begum Hospital and Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital (Sialkot), Chaudhary Rehmat Ali Memorial Trust Hospital (Lahore), District Headquarters Hospital, Al-Hadi Hospital and Brig Shafeeq Hospital (Bhakkar) and District Headquarter Hospital (Layyah).

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2016