RAHIM YAR KHAN: Principal of Shaikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) Prof Dr Muhammad Salim Laghari has formed a three-member committeeto investigate allegations of prescribing medicines of a certain pharmaceutical company by some doctors.

Headed by Prof Dr Tariq Ghafoor, the committee comprising senior doctors will submit its findings to the principal, says a Press Information Department handout released to the media on Thursday.

According to hospital sources, a video going viral on social media showed a medical representative (MR) claiming that in the last week of December 2024, an emergency medical officer demanded Rs 150,000 for prescribing medicines of his company (for purchases from outside the hospital). He gave her Rs 100,000 -- 50,000 transferred from his account to doctor’s bank account and Rs 50,000 in cash at her clinic.

On Dec 22, the rep called husband of the medic who invited him at her clinic where she told him that she could not prescribe the medicines of his company because the emergency head at the SZMCH did not tolerate this practice.

She promised to write prescriptions sometime in January (current month) as her emergency in-charge would be transferred.

The rep said his company fired him on Jan 7 on the complaint of the doctor.

According to sources in SZMCH, several doctors are involved in writing prescriptions of certain companies after getting favours in the shape of family foreign tours, luxury cars and costly home appliances.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2025