PIC’s pharmacy closes down

The Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) administration has shut the outdoor free pharmacy for heart patients after a few of them showed “strange” symptoms after using a drug, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday. The panic spread among patients as well as the administration after patients reportedly appeared with “strange” and “unusual” symptoms such as bleeding. The patients in other hospitals also consulted doctors regarding similar conditions among patients on these drugs, while the doctors have also suggested them to use alternate medicine for the time being. According to sources, the drug for reducing cholesterol has caused the said reaction and has been stopped as well. Nearly 45,000 poor patients have been registered at the pharmacy and they receive medicines on a monthly basis.
Talking to Pakistan Today, PIC Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Salim Jaffar said that the administration has taken the decision after patients’ complaints of bleeding, which could also be because of dengue. Answering a question, he said that these drugs had already been tested at the time of purchase, however, “We will test the drug again in order to be sure,” he added. To another question, he said, “The administration is not in a position to establish the exact cause as yet because it could be either because of the drug or the patient.” He further said a helpline has also been established for heart patients where they could contact and take guidelines on using the medicines.