AKPATTAN (NNP ) – The Medical Superintendent (MS) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of District Headquarters Hospital Pakpattan have been arrested on the orders of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz following the deaths of 20 infants in the Punjab city.
The chief minister took stern action during her visit to the city.
She visited the DHQ hospital in Pakpattan and issued the arrest orders during her on-site inspection.
The action came after initial reports by the health department and Commissioner of Sahiwal revealed grave negligence in the deaths of children.
According to the preliminary findings, 15 children died after their condition deteriorated at private hospitals and they were shifted to the government facility. Whereas, another five children lost their lives due to complications caused by untrained midwives.
The reports also highlighted that the 15 children were born in private hospitals but were referred to the DHQ when their health worsened.
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During the visit of Maryam Nawaz, patients raised multiple complaints about the unavailability of medicines, prompting the chief minister to take immediate action.
She also ordered suspension of several doctors’ licences while initiating a formal inquiry.
The chief minister inspected various wards of the hospital during her four-hour visit.
Expressing her dissatisfaction, she said: “The time for excuses is over – only performance will be accepted. Those who don’t work are no longer needed.”
Maryam Nawaz also took strict notice of government hospital staff referring patients to private laboratories for diagnostic tests. Following her orders, three lab employees were also arrested.
