Ordering a judicial probe into the matter, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has sacked the health secretary and the top administration of Punjab Institute of Cardiology after the report of CMIT probe committee into PIC drug reaction.
According to details, the 120-page report said top hierarchy of Health Department and the Punjab Institute of Cardiology were found negligent in the substandard drug reaction issue. The CM made Health Secretary Jahanzeb Khan an OSD and also sacked all the administrative hierarchy of the PIC including PIC CEO Dr Azhar and MS Dr Saleem Jafar.
Meanwhile, three more people, including two women, lost their lives in Lahore due to the drug reaction pushing the toll to 109. According to Health Department, 60-year-old Rasheedan Bibi, 70-year-old Sarwar Begum and 42-year-old Rehmat lost their lives on Saturday.
The enquiry report has also revealed that the drug reaction was caused due to high potency medicine Atrostatin which the World Health Organisation had donated to the PIC in November 2011. WHO had provided 40,000 tablets each of 80mg potency which were to be expired in February, 2012. The patients were prescribed two tablets of 20mg potency however the pharmacy staff provided 80mg tablets to them. Resultantly the patients were taking 160mg of the medicine instead of the prescribed dose of 40mg. The high dose of medicine badly affected their heart activity which had caused the deaths.
Health secy, PIC top hierarchy sacked!
