Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Monday took suo motu notice of the death of over 100 heart patients, under treatment at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), allegedly on account of either spurious drugs or wrong prescription of blood thinning and lipid lowering medicine, and issued notices to all concerned for today (Tuesday).
He took the notice on a note initiated by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, a Supreme Court judge, into the matter and issued notices to the attorney general, Punjab advocate general, federal and provincial secretaries, the Federal Investigation Agency director general and Punjab IG. The CJP directed his office to register the note as a petition under Article 184(3) of the constitution, as prima facie it seemed that provisions of articles 9 and 14 of the constitution had not been strictly adhered to.
The chief justice directed the authorities to list the case before a bench for today (Tuesday) and issued notices to the advocate general, Punjab advocate general, federal and Punjab health secretaries, Punjab PPO and FIA DG to appear and file reply into the matter. In his note to the chief justice, Justice Jillani said “the news of the deaths of more than 90 heart patients under treatment at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) allegedly on account of either spurious drugs or wrong prescription of blood-thinning and lipid-lowering medicine, has been noted with immense shock and concern.”
He said the issue was grave and had rightly raised public anger and a demand for action. He said, “There is a news item in The News of January 30, 2012 that expecting arrest of doctors posted in the PIC, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has, in protest, given a strike call and has given its own version of the tragedy i.e. that those involved in the purchase of spurious medicine and their clearance from the Drug Attesting Laboratory are free, but the doctors are being made victims of a penal action.”
CJP takes suo motu notice of PIC deaths
