GUJAR KHAN  -  The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dis­trict Health Authority, Rawalpindi, while fi­nalizing the inquiry into the provision of a life-saving drug to a cardiac patient, has identified seven officials of Tehsil Head­quarters Hospital (THQ) Gujar Khan re­sponsible for inefficiency and negligence. The CEO forwarded the report to the Spe­cial Secretary of the Primary and Second­ary Health Department, Punjab, for neces­sary action.

According to official sources, Sabir Hus­sain, a resident of Gujar Khan, was admitted to the emergency unit of the hospital in crit­ical condition. The cardiology consultant on duty prescribed an injection crucial for his survival. However, the hospital pharma­cy refused to provide the injection, forcing the patient to purchase it from the market. Subsequently, he was referred to the Rawal­pindi Institute of Cardiology after receiv­ing the purchased dose. The patient’s atten­dant, Qamar Shahzad, brought this issue to the attention of the medical superintendent at the time, but the life-saving injection re­mained unavailable, despite being in stock at the hospital’s main pharmacy.

Upon receiving the complaint and di­rectives from higher authorities, Dr Ejaz Ahmed Khan Galloo, the CEO of the district health authority, conducted a thorough in­vestigation into the matter along with an inquiry team. The findings are document­ed in the report, which is available with The Nation.

The inquiry report revealed that Mr. Umar, a junior pharmacy technician, informed the patient’s attendant that the Heparin injec­tion vial was unavailable, despite half a dose being in stock and available for administra­tion. The committee found Mr. Umar guilty of negligence. Additionally, Ms. Yusra Anwar, the pharmacist, failed to ensure the availa­bility of the injection when only one vial re­mained in stock on March 31st. Further­more, the probe uncovered that the incharge nurse, Ms Attiya Khalid, altered the patient’s name in the emergency register, while the head nurse, Saima Khursheed, neglected her responsibility of cross-checking the records. 

The committee also found that the cardi­ologist, Dr. Sultan Mahmood, omitted cru­cial information such as the patient’s name, age, and the date and time on the prescrip­tion slip, which violates regulations. More­over, Dr Saeed Ahmed, the emergency di­rector at THQ, failed to ensure the supply of life-saving drugs in the emergency ward.

In its final verdict and recommendations, the inquiry committee called for strict dis­ciplinary action, under the Inefficiency Act, against the Medical Superintendent of THQ Gujar Khan, Dr. Sarmad Hussain Kiyani, for his lack of leadership and communication mismanagement. 

The report, forwarded to the special secretary of the Primary and Secondary Health Department, also recommended action against Mr Umar Ahmed, Ms Yus­ra Anwar, Ms Attiya Khalid, and Ms Asma Kanwal for their failure to justify their ac­tions. Additionally, the committee sug­gested warnings for the cardiologist, the emergency director, and the head nurse for their minor errors.

Comprising CEO Dr Ejaz, Dr Kamran Zia Qureshi, and Deputy District Health Officer Gujar Khan, Dr Safdar Malik, the committee attached evidence and statements of the de­fendants and witnesses to the inquiry report for further action by the health department.