Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took notice on a note initiated by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Judge Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding the news of the death of more than 90 heart patients under treatment in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) allegedly on account of either spurious drugs or wrong prescription of blood thinning and lipid lowering medicines.
According to a press release issued here on Monday, taking a notice the CJP directed the office to register this note as petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, as prima facie it seems that provisions of Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution have not been adhered to strictly.
The case be listed before a bench headed by Tassaduq Hussain Jillani for January 01.2012. Notice be issued to the Attorney General, the Advocate General Punjab, Secretaries Health of Federal Government as well as government of Punjab, PPO Punjab and D.G. FIA to appear and file reply. Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani in his note has intimated, "The news of the death of more than 90 heart patients under treatment in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) allegedly on account of either spurious drugs or wrong prescription of Blood Thinning and Lipid Lowering medicines has been noted with immense shock and concern.
The issue is indeed grave and has rightly raised public anger and a demand for action. There is a news item in the "Daily News" (dated 30.1.2012) that apprehending arrest of doctors posted in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has, in protest, given a strike call and has given their own version of the tragedy ie that those involved in the purchase of spurious medicines and their clearance from the Drug Attesting Laboratory are free but the doctors are being victims of the penal action
In the same paper, there is a news that Pakistan Pharma Manufacturers Association (PPMA) has claimed that patients in Pakistan Institute of Cardiology (PIC) did not die due to the use of poisonous/substandard drugs but because of the wrong prescription of Blood Thinning and Lipid Lowering Medicines without due regard to the medical history of the patients concerned."
After going through the above note, the Chief Justice passed the above mentioned order to register this note as petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, to list the case before the Bench to be headed by HJ (2) for 31.01.2012 and to issue notices to Attorney General, Advocate General Punjab, Federal Secretary Health as well as Secretary Health Punjab, PPO Punjab and D.G. FIA to appear and file reply.-PR