GUJAR KHAN: The chief executive officer (CEO) District Health Authority Rawalpindi has sent the report of an inquiry into non-provision of life-saving drugs to a critical cardiac patient at the THQ hospital Gujar Khan to the special secretary Primary and Secondary Health Department for action against seven officials for inefficiency and negligence.

The report was finalised by a committee headed by health authority CEO Dr Ejaz Ahmed Khan Galloo and consisting of Dr Kamran Zia Qureshi and Deputy District Health Officer Dr Safdar Malik.

According to the report (copy available with Dawn), Sabir Hussain was brought to the hospital’s emergency unit in a critical condition and the consultant prescribed an injection to save his life, but the hospital’s pharmacy refused to provide the vial. The patient was later referred to Rawalpindi.

His attendant Qamar Shahzad raised the matter with the medical superintendent, but the lifesaving injection was not given to the patient despite being available in the hospital’s pharmacy. The inquiry was conducted on directives of the higher authorities.

According to the report, a junior pharmacy technician informed the patient’s attendant that the vial of Heparin injection was not available even though a half dose was present and could be given to the patient.

The report also stated that the pharmacist failed to ensure the injection’s availability after only one vial remained in the store on March 31. Furthermore, the in-charge nurse tampered with the patient’s name in the emergency register while the head nurse failed to double check the records. It was also found that the cardiologist had not mentioned the patient’s name and age as well as the date and time on the prescription which was also against guidelines.

Moreover, the hospital’s emergency director did not ensure that the emergency unit had sufficient stock of life-saving medications.

The inquiry committee sought disciplinary action against the hospital’s medical superintendent for lack of command and control and communication mismanagement. The report also recommended action against the other staffers and recommended warnings to the cardiologist, emergency director and chief nurse for their ‘minor mistakes’. —

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2024