By Asif Chaudhry

Copyright dawn

LAHORE: The Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit (SMU) has issued a report on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), Lahore, pointing out gross mismanagement, criminal negligence in the treatment of the heart attack and other patients and those waiting for bypass, besides exposing other grave systematic failures.

In its 22-page report, the SMU highlighted the scale of sufferings of the heart patients in the biggest public sector cardiac institute of the province.

“The SMU conducted an unannounced follow-up visit at the PIC, Lahore, and revealed systemic administrative collapse and medical negligence,” reads the report.

It has declared that the hospital is failing in its core responsibility of delivering timely, safe, and adequate cardiac care. (a copy of the report is also available with Dawn).

Report exposes mismanagement, mentioning names of patients

As per the report, the inspection exposed grave systemic failures: essential medicines were missing, diagnostics and interventions dangerously delayed, and critical infrastructure like CCUs and lifts left non-functional.

Staff negligence and misconduct, coupled with a broken Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) and severe lapses in hygiene and patient safety, have put lives at risk, it declared adding that immediate corrective action and strict accountability are imperative.

Raising a core issue of the long queues outside OPD pharmacy, the SMU lamented that patients were redirected to indoor pharmacy and sent back without help while the prescribed medicines were not available in both indoor and emergency pharmacies.

It stated that post-bypass medicines were withheld due to non-preparation of slips, declaring it a reckless administrative lapse.

“Model pharmacy in emergency failed to provide essential medicines and patients were not guided on alternative salts,” reads the report adding that the SMU inspection team has provided some proofs with the profiles of some patients who were denied prescribed medicines.

The SMU said the hospital staff was charging Rs2,000 for delivering urgent CDs of their surgeries instead of Rs1,500 while the patients who were unable to pay urgent fee were forced to wait for three months or so, declaring it a clear case of exploitation.

The pharmacy staff’s behaviour was reported as rude, dismissive, and hostile with the cardiac patients and their attendants.

There were no temperature/humidity meters in the OPD pharmacy and the installation of one AC there was posing potential risks of damage to medicines.

The SMU also declared the ‘medicine home delivery service’ a failed scheme saying the cardiac patients were forced to visit the PIC to collect the same.

“A patient Muhammad Rafique, reported that he did not receive his medicines at home for the last 2-3 months. He is forced to personally visit PIC every month to collect medicines”, reads the report.

The report alleges that the pharmacists were observed distributing medicines partially instead of the full prescribed quantity.

It highlighted the cases of six such patients who were provided incomplete medicines by the pharmacists.

“During SMU’s visit, pharmacist Ms. Mahnoor (In-charge OPD Pharmacy) was absent from duty while the other pharmacy staff had no information about available stock and directed the SMU to the AMS. This is a clear dereliction of duty by the In-charge,” reads the report.

While shedding light on the mismanagement in diagnostic services and extreme delays, the SMU lamented that prolonged echocardiography waiting time has extended to a month period and declared this practice dangerous for critical cardiac patients. Similarly, it said, the ultrasound waiting time [3/4 days] was being repeatedly rescheduled besides highlighting the mismanagement in the X-Ray, CT Scan, OPD and ECHO departments.

Medical representatives were found roaming in corridors near ECHO desk in blatant violation of the laid down SoPs while there was only one bed available in ECG room which was causing delays in urgent admissions from emergency.

The SMU pointed out that only one doctor was on duty in the emergency room to examine new arrivals – risking crucial minutes of life-saving care.

The air conditioning was non-functional across wards, CCUs, waiting areas, CT Scan and X-Ray rooms.

Out of the two lifts installed in the Emergency Block, one was functional, creating delays in shifting critical patients.

There was only one wheelchair without a pedal available, leaving the cardiac patients in grave distress while the bed sheets in wards were in the worst condition.

A patient was forced to bring his personal pulse oximeter as no cardiac monitor was available on the third floor of the hospital.

The SMU report pointed out another negligence stating no oxygen flow meters were attached to the beds.

About the common complaints, it said, a heart patient (Amir) was left unattended for two hours or so as no doctor was available in the emergency ward while the angiography of a heart attack patient (Ijaz) brought from Gujranwala was delayed over 24 hours.

The bypass of a patient (Fayyaz Ali) was not performed 22 days after his admission.

A heart patient (Sohail Muneer) was brought to the PIC following the serious complaints of leakage of his valve due to negligence at multiple hospitals. His dental clearance test was lost by the PIC sweeper and the doctors discharged the patient without surgery.

“The medical form of a patient, Rehana (Bed 17, 3rd floor), had contradictory entries “Yes” and “No”(ticked for diabetes) which was a high-risk blunder before operation,” reads the SMU report.

The doctors were found using mobile phones inside offices during duty while patients were waiting.

Similarly, the nursing staff members in emergency ICU/HDU were also found busy on phones, ignoring critical patients.

The SMU report also highlighted a number of other such serious complaints, stressing upon the authorities concerned to take notice for the sake of the cardiac patients at the PIC Lahore.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2025