MULTAN: The Punjab Healthcare Commission, reacting to a news report carried by Dawn on Thursday, says it enjoys powers of a civil court for the adjudication of complaints under the PHC Act 2010.

The complaints’ management system entails detailed scrutiny of a complaint for its maintainability, and other procedures, including notices and reminders for medical record and important documents, record from all healthcare establishments involved in the treatment, multiple hearings and cross-examination of the parties and their witnesses, expert opinion and sharing with the parties.

Once the investigation is complete, the case is reviewed by the Complaints Management Sub-Committee of the Board of Commissioners (BoC), and then its recommendations are considered by the BoC for a final decision.

Conceding delay factor involved in all such legal proceedings, the case of Umme Kalsoom also had to undergo the same procedure. The proceedings were, however, prolonged due to various other reasons. One instance is of the complainant’s pregnancy, which caused a fairly long lapse in the proceedings. Due to her inability to appear before the commission in Lahore, proceedings were conducted in Multan to facilitate the complainant further.

Besides, multiple adjournments on the request of respondent Dr Robina Akhtar, one of the accused who had moved a civil court against the complainant, hindered the timely completion of the case that is usually decided in five to six months.

“However, the case is now ready to be placed before the BoC for a final decision,” it concluded.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2017