ISLAMABAD: “We cannot imagine the problems and pains of the poor. Politicians are not bothered by the needs of the people. All plans should be made according to the requirements of the people,” said PML-N’s Khalid Hussein Magsi.

Chairing a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) on Monday, Mr Magsi said it was unfortunate that politicians did not care about the people they were meant to represent.

“Do any parliamentarians have problems with water or electricity? Have our children ever suffered due to the unavailability of medical treatment,” he asked.

Mr Magsi started discussing the matter when the committee was being briefed about the Public Sector Development Programme and was told that the release of funds had been delayed and that funds were not spent on time.

Members of NHS committee express concerns over sale of substandard, unregistered stents

“We should be mindful of the problems people face. We are referred to as the cream of society but I don’t know what happened to our [thinking capabilities],” he said.

The committee directed the NHS ministry to ensure the completion of ongoing projects before initiating new projects and also ensure they were completed on time in order to avoid financial losses.

The committee observed that policies only existed on paper and were not implemented, especially in the remote areas of the country.

It directed for polices to be devised according to the ground realities and not based on estimated figures so that their benefits can be felt at the grass-roots level. It also directed the ministry to develop a proper working relationship with the provinces so that policies can be actually be implemented.

The issue of stents

Members of the committee also expressed concerns over the sale of substandard and unregistered stents in government hospitals and directed the ministry to coordinate with investigating agencies to bring the culprits to account.

MNA Dr Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti said the licences of doctors who fixed substandard stents should be suspended.

Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani said cases should be registered against them.

“It is unfortunate that a doctor facing allegations of placing [substandard or unregistered] stents is a part of the committee which is inquiring into the matter,” he said.

Stents are small, expandable tubes which are used to treat narrowed arteries in the body. In people with coronary heart diseases caused by the build up of plaque, stents can open narrowed arteries, reduce symptoms such as chest pain and help avoid heart attacks.

Last month, a large number of unregistered cardiac stents worth Rs250 million were recovered from the Mayo Hospital Lahore and it was revealed that some patients were told that stents were fixed in their arteries when they were not.

The Supreme Court then took a suo moto notice of the matter and directed the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and other stakeholders to ensure that quality stents were sold across the country at affordable prices.

It was also found that there was no mechanism for the sale of stents due to which, instead of being sold at medical stores, patients buy stents from representatives of companies who operate in the cardiac centres of various hospitals.

These representatives do not give a proper receipt for the stent due to which patients cannot gather information on the kind of stent fixed in their arteries or its quality.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2017