Lone cardiologist in Pak's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa raises concern of country's healthcare system
May 28, 2021
Islamabad [Pakistan], May 28 : Underlining the dire healthcare situation in Pakistan, it has been revealed that there is only one certified cardiac doctor in the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It came to light during a hearing regarding substandard stents at the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed heard the case. The court expressed anger over the chief executive officer (CEO) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa healthcare commission, according to The Express Tribune.
"It is shocking to have only one certified cardiac doctor in the entire KP province," the chief justice remarked in court.
He also inquired about how 4,615 heart procedures were performed in the province in the last year with just a single certified cardiac doctor. The judge also remarked that the healthcare CEO should resign from his position.
Meanwhile, the CEO of the Healthcare Commission of Punjab province informed the court it has a total of 40 certified cardiologists, to which the chief justice replied that there should be 40 certified doctors in Lahore alone, according to The Express Tribune.
Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi maintained that the issue of heart disease has turned into a business and is out of the hands of professional doctors.
Dr Azhar Kayani stated that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) did not approve the stents approved by the National Interventional Cardiology Board (NICB). "Substandard stents are being administered to patients instead of the NICB approved ones," he added.
Maintaining that unregistered and unqualified doctors should not be allowed to perform surgery, the court also ordered Sindh and Balochistan provincial healthcare commissions to submit a report regarding stents.
The hearing was later adjourned for an indefinite period.
