PM orders probe into idle CT facility at PIMS

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday took notice of the non-functional Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography (CTCA) facility at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and constituted an inquiry committee to determine the facts and responsibility. The premier constituted a committee headed by the Establishment Division federal secretary, directing it to examine all aspects of the matter and submit a comprehensive report. The committee includes the federal secretary for the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (MoNHSRC), Cardiologist Brig Dr Jahanzeb Ali of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC), Dr Nusratullah Chaudhry, Professor Dr Nadeem Hayat Malik, Brig (retd) Dr Azmat Hayat of PIMS, and CTCA Technician Umar Farooq of AFIC. The committee has also been authorised to co-opt any other member if required. According to its terms of reference, the committee will determine whether PIMS has had the technical capability to perform CTCA since 2022 and, if so, whether the required technical facilities, human resources and software were available. It will also examine the number, dates and nature of CTCA procedures performed at the hospital since 2022, along with relevant hospital records and other documentary evidence. The committee will then investigate the coordination and referral mechanisms between the PIMS cardiology and radiology departments and assess the hospital administration's role in ensuring the facility's availability. It will specifically examine whether patients of the cardiology department were routinely referred to private medical centres for CTCA. In such cases, the committee will determine whether any private facility was given preference and assess the extent of financial business that may have been diverted from the public hospital to private centres. The inquiry will also look into any lack of coordination, mismanagement or misunderstanding between the two departments in question that may have caused a loss to public interest, and identify the "officers or offices" responsible. Shehbaz directed the committee to conduct a thorough examination of all relevant facts and records and submit a detailed report so that further action could be taken in accordance with the law and rules. The NHSRC division was ordered to provide the necessary assistance to the committee during the probe.