ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) is on the verge of another crisis as supplies of free medicines for inpatients and other items might be discontinued due to procurement issues.

The situation has become worse as not a single tender has been signed during the last six weeks, a senior officer said.

However Executive Director (ED) Pims Prof Dr Tanwir Khaliq, who took charge of the post on Tuesday, said he had taken up the issue and would show zero tolerance when it came to providing facilities to patients.

A senior doctor of the hospital, requesting anonymity, said issues of procurement of different supply items were increasing.

Free medicine supply to inpatients likely to be discontinued any time

“In Pims medicines and injectables are given free of cost to all indoor patients and for that continuous supply of medicines has to be ensured. However tenders could not be approved during the last six months due to which supplies have been stopped and the available stocks are rapidly depleting,” he said.

It is worth mentioning here that after the fire incident at Pims, in which 14 newborn babies had died on August 26 and later the 15th baby also passed away, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice and suspended as many as eight officers.

The additional charge of ED was given to head of the National Institute of Health (NIH), Dr Mohammad Salman. On Oct 5 even Dr Salman was removed and the additional charge of the post was given to Prof Dr Tanwir Khaliq, who is vice chancellor of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad.

A senior doctor of the hospital, requesting anonymity, said files of tender were piling up as they were not being signed.

“Similarly most members of the purchase committee have some other jobs to do as heads of departments, therefore they take least interest. Absence of an ED had further aggravated the situation. So I can say that a new crisis is in the making and suggested that the new management focus on the purchases of medicines,” the doctor said.

An officer who is in the finance department, wishing not to be named, said there were some reasons behind the emerging crisis.

“It has to be understood that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) only accepted authorised signatures and whenever officers were changed it took a fortnight to authorise new signatures,” he said.

When asked that the signature of director finance should be considered as authorised signature, he said documents of approval by the ED were also required for the transactions.

“As per my information, some of the stocks are available and we are trying to address the issue at the earliest,” he said.

ED Pims Prof Dr Tanwir Khaliq, while talking to Dawn, said he came to know on Tuesday that the tenders had not been approved for the last over one month.

“I have directed to expedite the documentary process and informed all departments that there will be zero tolerance on facilities provided to patients. Doctors can suffer but patients cannot be allowed to suffer,” he said, claiming that the issue will be resolved within days.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2026