LAHORE
Operating theatres (OTs) in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) shut down on Friday because of hygiene concerns.
PIC was inspected previously in March and management was told by the authorities to clean their OTs as they reportedly were swarming with vermin.
The hospital’s pathology department conducted tests on the OT tables and instruments and discovered on April 21 (when the results came out) that most of the hospital supplies were contaminated.
PIC has been given a deadline of May 6 (Tuesday) to have the hospital cleaned. Until then the OTs will remain close and no surgeries will be conducted.
PIC Chief Executive Prof Bilal Zakaria Khan said that microbiological surveillance of OTs was a routine work. Fumigation in the theatres is carried out in accordance with laboratory report, he said.
According to a handout, he said that currently two PIC operation theatres were operational while seven had been closed for fumigation/sterilisation and would be made functional within a few days. Prof Zakaria said that presence of fungus in operation theatres was not an unusual thing; however, it was eliminated through fumigation.
