A shocking scandal exposed the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), where patients received expired cardiac stents continuously, as revealed by an explosive Auditor General’s report.
The investigation uncovered that between July 2021 and December 2022, medical staff inserted fully expired stents into 22 patients, while another 9 received stents with just 3% of their shelf life remaining.
This followed the same pattern as an earlier FIA report in 2022, revealing that 38 patients were given 39 expired stents in 2021. The audit uncovered alarming financial irregularities totaling Rs263 million for purchasing these expired stents and medicines.
Records showed that the hospital purchased 500 stents from a private company in 2019 for use in 2020. Yet, hospital staff continued to use them even 19 months after their expiration date.
More disturbingly, the report indicated PIC continued to request stents from other hospitals despite having its stock available, suggesting deliberate wrongdoing rather than mere negligence.
Despite repeated requests for clarification, the hospital administration failed to respond to the Auditor General’s damning findings. This scandal exposed isolated incidents and a dangerous pattern of no practice at one of Pakistan’s leading cardiac care facilities.
The repeated use of expired life-saving medical devices raised serious questions about patient safety protocols, procurement processes, and oversight mechanisms in Pakistan’s healthcare system.
With patient lives at risk and millions in public funds potentially misused, the revelations demand immediate action from health authorities and law enforcement agencies to hold the authorities accountable.