LAHORE: The Punjab government has issued a new directive to expel all the illegal residents occupying the hostels and residences in various state-run medical institutions and hospitals in the province in the wake of the death of ‘an unauthorised resident’ in a gas cylinder explosion occurring at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), Lahore.

The Specialized Healthcare and Medical Education Department took the action to prevent another PIC-like incident when it transpired in the findings of an inquiry that dozens of the illegal residents were staying in the official hostels and residences andusing gas cylinders and kerosene stoves in their rooms in blatant violation of the standard guidelines.

An official told Dawn on Sunday that the cylinder explosion in a room of the PIC some days back had left a man critically injured. The blaze caused by the explosion engulfed the entire room, he added.

He said the injured man, who later succumbed to his wounds, turned out to be an ‘unauthorised resident’, reportedly staying as a guest in the room allotted to a former activist of Young Doctors Association (YDA), Punjab, Medical Officer Dr Tahir Malhi.

The death later prompted the PIC administration and the health department to launch separate high-level investigations into the incident.

The official said that as per the findings of the initial investigations, there were over 150 rooms and lodges in the PIC hostels and dozens of illegal occupants, including families,were living there.

In the light of the findings, the PIC got its hostels vacated after canceling all illegal allotments and formed inquiry committees to avoid such irregularities in the future.

The official added the PIC authorities also suspended the gas, electricity and water supplies and handed over the hostels to the C&W department for inspection of the buildings’ infrastructure.

The PIC officials also conducted raids on the hostels, removed gas cylinders, stoves and other such dangerous items from the rooms, being used by the allottees or the illegal residents.

The reports further suggested that the allottees of the PIC hostels had also ‘accommodated’ many postgraduate researchers(PGRs) and doctors who were working either in the Services Hospital or other teaching institutes.

The official said that during the investigations, the PIC marked many rooms which were being shared by three to four persons, adding that the allottees were getting financial or other benefits from the illegal occupants.

He said a committee constituted by the PIC administration under Prof Ahmad Nauman would ensure that only doctors having domiciles of other districts were allotted the hostel rooms. The new allottees would also submit an affidavit and a permission letter issued by their respective supervisor or head of the department, he added.

Referring to the PIC probe findings, the Punjab health department’s directive mentions that the illegal occupants had also altered structures of the buildings and were using gas cylinders and air-conditioners without any permission, consuming a massive electricity load.

“The competent authority has shown a grave concern over such practices and directed that in order to ensure the safety and security of the hostel occupants and government residences, prevent fire incidents and avoid security lapses or theft all concerned authorities are directed to implement the new standard guidelines,” reads the directiveaddressed to the vice chancellors, principals and medical superintendents of all the government medical institutes across Punjab.

As per the directive, no illegal occupant shall be allowed in hostels or government residents and action must be taken strictly as per the rules and regulations of the concerned institute if any violation was reported.

The department also directed to ensure all the allotments to the employees of the government hospitals, including doctors, nurses and others, were made strictly incompliance with the institutional policy.

The use of kerosene stoves, gas cylinders and other combustible materials in hostel rooms shall strictly be prohibited, according to the directive.

It has also directed that the security posts, gates and CCTV systems must always remain functional and have duly verified and well-maintained visitor logs (placed at the gates).

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2025