Following the tragic deaths of 20 children at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Pakpattan, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz made an urgent visit to the hospital and took strict notice of the situation. Distressed families and patients flooded her with complaints about mismanagement and negligence.
In response, the Chief Minister ordered the immediate arrest of CEO Health Dr. Sohail Asghar and Medical Superintendent Dr. Adnan Ghaffar. She also instructed the Deputy Commissioner of Pakpattan to step down from his position.
During her visit, citizens alleged that despite the availability of medicines, the hospital’s pharmacy was colluding with external vendors to force patients to buy drugs from outside. Attempts were made by hospital officials to conceal the facts, which led Maryam Nawaz to take swift action. FIRs were ordered against the health officials, and new management has been appointed from Sahiwal.
Complaints also emerged regarding overcharging patients for parking Rs. 50 to Rs. 100 prompting the CM to order the arrest of the parking company’s owner and in-charge. Three lab technicians were also terminated for collusion with private labs, and three such labs were sealed. Additionally, the Chief Minister directed the Deputy Commissioner to relinquish his duties.
Maryam Nawaz ordered a complete audit of hospital equipment and stressed the need for tough decisions to make officials accountable. She expressed outrage over air conditioners running in administrative offices while wards and patients suffered in the heat. She rebuked staff over the unavailability of medicines despite full stocks in the store.
Furthermore, she ordered the implementation of Code Red and Code Blue emergency response systems across all public hospitals. She also directed the enforcement of a ban on mobile phone usage by doctors and paramedical staff during duty hours, and the reintroduction of a pager system for internal communication.
The CM demanded that all inquiries be concluded within a week. She expressed frustration that 90% of patients were being forced to buy medicines from outside despite the hospital having adequate stocks. “If medicines are available in the store, why are people paying Rs. 100 for basic drugs?” she questioned.
Maryam Nawaz noted that vital medical equipment was lying unused and said that the real culprits in public institutions are those who fail to do their jobs. “There is no shortage of doctors and nurses, only a lack of compassion,” she said, adding, “Do people come to hospitals to die? Negligence is as dangerous as murder.”
She urged the hospital staff to treat other people’s children as their own, warning that criminal negligence is a serious offense in the eyes of both the law and God.
