ISLAMABAD: On the directions of Minister for National Health Services (NHS) Abdul Qadir Patel, a drug control team on Wednesday visited the store of gynaecology ward in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and took six samples of medicines and surgical items for testing.

On the other hand, the hospital’s management sent a report to the ministry about the death of a pregnant woman and two other patients whose condition had become critical. Some of the samples have also been sent to the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) to get a second opinion regarding the use of anaesthesia and injections.

On July 1, condition of three pregnant women in the gynae ward of Pims became critical and had to be shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU). One of the patients died while the other two recovered and were later discharged from the hospital.

On July 5, Mr Patel had announced that he had taken notice of the alleged use of infected syringes at Pims, adding that criminal proceedings would be initiated against the hospital management if the allegation was proved.

Second opinion on use of anaesthesia, injections sought from AFIC

“I have sought a report over the incident within 24 hours. It is unfortunate that during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), autonomy was given to Pims due to which it went out of the ambit of the ministry. Pims was converted into a medical teaching institution (MTI) and is being run by a board of governors (BoG),” he had said.

According to the report of Pims, available with Dawn, after c-section under spinal anaesthesia, patients had developed neurological symptoms.

The hospital management committee had called head of the anaesthesia department for his expert opinion and he said that in his 25 years of experience, he had never come across such a case and it was extremely rare, it stated.

The report also claims that all disposable material and drugs, being used for surgeries was replaced and vigilance of sterilisation in operation theatres (OTs) has been increased.

Moreover, a three-member inquiry committee, headed by Associate Professor Dr Mumtaz Ahmed Khan has been constituted to probe the incident. Other members of the committee are Assistant Prof Dr Naseem Akhtar and Dr Zoofeshan Jabeen Fatima. The committee will submit its report within three days.

A senior doctor of Pims said differences between the Pims management and ministry were increasing since the change of government.

“The ministry has been trying to prove that the hospital has become dysfunctional after getting autonomy. On the other hand, the hospital management does not want any interference of the ministry in its affairs,” he said.

Another doctor said according to the initial report, the patient died because of brain haemorrhage.

“Though there is possibility that the medicine or anaesthesia could be infected but the fact is that the same anaesthesia and medicines are being used in all OTs of the hospital, which are many times more in number as compared to the gynae ward, and no such case has been reported.

Despite that, we have replaced all the operation-related medicines through local purchase (LP),” the senior doctor said.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, the team sent by the ministry checked the record, took samples and sent them to a lab for testing. It claims that Mr Patel has directed hospital management to maintain the record of medicine in the OTs.

“Government hospitals should improve their performance and no negligence will be tolerated. Supply of medicines should also be improved,” the minister said.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2022