News
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Suo motu proceedings on PIC medicine scandalSC seeks help of senior doctors
* Court says strike unjustifiable in medical profession
Staff Report
LAHORE: A division bench of the Supreme Court on Monday, holding suo motu proceedings in the Pakistan Institute of Cardiology (PIC) medicine scandal, raised six health issues and sought assistance from five senior doctors.
The bench, comprising Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilani and Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, raised the issues as under:
“How best is the way to regulate licences and manufacturing of drugs in Pakistan to ensure quality control with particular reference to the composition and working of the Federal Drug Regulatory Authority; the factors which have led to the resurgence of polio and rise of Hepatitis C in the country and measures to combat this challenge; to compensate the families whose relatives died during treatment in the PIC on account of administration of ‘Isotab’; how best is the way to ensure that the Sheikh Zayed Hospital works on professional lines; how best is to streamline the working of the government-run hospitals to ensure better healthcare; and how best is to impose the service structure of doctors in government hospitals to ensure that their genuine grievances are met and they reflect the best virtues of their noble profession in their working.”
The bench also issued notice to Tariq Ikram, acting chief of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), and directed the health secretary to produce a list of the victims who died of the administration of ‘Isotab’ at the PIC.
Earlier, Punjab Advocate General Ashtar Ausaf Ali submitted that the young doctors had called off their strike. The Punjab health secretary is in touch with them to attend to their lawful demands, he said.
Justice Saqib Nisar observed, “It is highly unreasonable that doctors adopted the way of protest for their demands. You are attached with a noble profession and are fortunate enough to get an opportunity to earn some good deeds for the sake of the Day of Judgement. Strike is unjustifiable in your profession. What will a father feel if a doctor declines to treat his child.”
The doctors, whose assistance is sought, include Dr Jawad Zaheer, Dr Faisal Masood, Dr Zafar Iqbal of Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Dr Anwar A Khan, former CEO of Sheikh Zayed Hospital and Dr Javed Raza Gardezi.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk