SAHIWAL: Farid Town police have booked two lab technicians employed at the Sahiwal Teaching Hospital’s blood bank for their involvement in sale of blood bags worth Rs0.2 million donated for the patients, arresting one of the suspects.

As per police sources the suspects have been involved in the illegal activity at the hospital for the past six months.

According to the police, FIR No 703/25 has been registered under section 380 of the PPC against Zaheer Hyder and Jamsheed Ali on the complaint of Dr Fahid Ijaz, Protocol Staff Officer, Sahiwal Teaching Hospital (STH).

Police claimed to have arrested one of the suspects, Zaheer, while the other has obtained pre-arrest protective bail until May 10, 2025.

The police sources say Zaheer and Jamsheed had been working as lab technicians in the hospital’s blood bank for the past one year. Prior to this, Jamsheed was employed at the Ali Zab Foundation, a philanthropic organization providing free blood to thalassemia patients. The sources say the suspects would allegedly sell the blood bags donated for patients, stored at the STH blood bank.

Upon receiving complaints, Dr. Nisar, Medical Superintendent of STH, directed the hospital’s security officer Asif Sherazi to monitor the blood bank staff.

An internal inquiry led by Dr Nisar found that the suspects had sold blood bagsworth Rs2000,000 during the past six months.

Sahiwal Medical College Principal Prof Imran Hasan did not respond to this correspondent’s calls for giving his stance on the incident.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025