Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Iftikhar Ali Gillani has taken notice of a case of severe medical negligence at the District Headquarter Hospital in Bagh. A surgical bandage was reportedly left inside a woman’s abdomen for a full year after an operation at the facility.
Reports indicate that about 200 grams of bandages were later removed from the patient’s body. The prime minister ordered the Director General of Health to carry out an open and thorough investigation. He also told authorities to identify those responsible and submit a detailed inquiry report to him without delay.
Federal plan to restructure PIMS administration
Separately, the federal government has decided to restructure the administrative framework of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), according to a Wednesday report citing sources. Sources said a structure based on the Medical Teaching Institution model would be introduced, which would require amending the existing PIMS Act.
Under the proposed reforms, the institute would be run by a Board of Governors made up of people from various fields. According to Ministry of Health sources, the chairman of that board would be appointed from the market.
Committee given 15 days to propose PIMS Act changes
A committee headed by Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has been formed to oversee the administrative reforms. It includes the law minister, vice chancellors of medical universities and health experts, sources said. The panel has been asked to present its recommendations for amendments to the PIMS Act within 15 days.
Sources also said a special committee has already submitted its report and recommendations on PIMS to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The administrative decisions were made in light of those recommendations, and the prime minister has issued directions on the hospital’s administrative affairs, sources added.
A 20-member PIMS Reform Committee was earlier formed on the prime minister’s directives. It includes prominent health experts from both the public and private sectors, according to sources.
