ISLAMABAD: The Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and its pharmacy has been sealed since July 6 due to which over 70 deliveries were being affected on daily basis.

The hospital administration has dedicated two operation theatres (OTs) of the Children Hospital (Pims) for deliveries and around 50 per cent cases are being referred to Polyclinic.

As mother and child hospital of Polyclinic also remains occupied, hospital administration has also dedicated Medical Ward II for the patients who are being referred from Pims MCH.

On July 1, the condition of three pregnant women in the gynae ward of Pims became critical and they had to be shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

One of the patients died while the other two recovered and were later discharged. On July 5, Federal Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Abdul Qadir Patel announced that he had taken notice of the alleged use of infected syringes and Anaesthesia at Pims, adding criminal proceedings would be initiated against the hospital management if the allegation was proved.

On July 6, a drug control team visited the store of gynaecology ward in Pims and took six samples of medicines and surgical items for testing and sealed both MCH and store.

On the other hand the hospital management sent a report to the ministry claiming that the woman died due to brain haemorrhage. Moreover, after getting a negative report from its own lab, it sent samples to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) for a second opinion regarding the quality of anaesthesia and injections.

A three-member inquiry committee, headed by Associate Professor Dr Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, was constituted to probe the incident. Other members of the committee are Assistant Prof Dr Naseem Akhtar and Dr Zoofeshan Jabeen Fatima.

Director Pims Dr Khalid Masood, while talking to Dawn, said that the MCH and store could not be open unless the Ministry of NHS decided to de-seal them.

“We have dedicated two OTs of Children Hospital for the deliveries and rest of the cases are being referred to the Polyclinic,” he said.

While replying to a question, Dr Masood said that the report from AFIC was yet to be received.

A doctor of Polyclinic, requesting not to be quoted, said that the hospital had dedicated Medical Ward II for the patients referred from Pims as its MCH also remained full all the time.

Meanwhile on Wednesday rumours were triggered that cases, similar to Pims, were reported in three private hospitals of Karachi.

It was also being claimed that there was only one company which provided anaesthesia across the globe and its some batches sent to Pakistan were infected.

An official of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap), requesting anonymity, said that after hearing about the cases Drap contacted all three hospitals of Karachi but it incidents could not be confirmed.

“Fact is that there were reports of fits in some cases but as hospitals were aware of Pims incident so staff panicked,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer Drap Dr Asim Rauf told Dawn that samples, collected from Pims MCH, were sent to Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) Karachi and reports were awaited.

“Although we have directed Pims not to dispose of all six medicines, used at MCH, and directed the company to hold the stock of Anaesthesia but there can be many other reasons for the death of patient such as OT, operation tools, environment, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system, etc. I will be able to comment about it after getting the report from CDL, Karachi,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2022