ISLAMABAD: A committee comprising senior doctors informed the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday that the cost of implanting heart stents can be reduced to Rs 0.1 million from Rs 0.3 million.
The committee was formed by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar that has taken suo motu notice in the substandard stents case.
Dr Azhar Kiyani told the court that stents can be placed in the heart at a cost of Rs 0.1 million.
Expressing satisfaction with the report, Justice Nisar lauded performance of the committee, saying the senior doctors have done invaluable service to the whole nation.
“The report is wonderful and a great news,” the chief justice said. He, however, mentioned that this price is still high for the common man.
Furthermore, Justice Ijazul Hasan praised Dr Kiyani and stated that he has saved many lives.
The top court ordered the report to be sent to the health ministry, secretaries of health departments, national health authorities, the provincial information minister, and Drug Regulatory Authority.
The court directed all concerned authorities and institutions to submit their recommendations on the sent report within next 10 days, and adjourned the hearing.
Last year, the chief justice took suo motu notice over reports that some hospitals in Lahore are either recommending stents unnecessarily or charging patients up to Rs 180,000, which actually cost no more than few thousand rupees. It was also reported that in some cases, stents were not even implanted in the patients and they were charged for fake angioplasties.
