MUZAFFARABAD: Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Iftikhar Ali Gillani has taken notice of a severe medical negligence case at the District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital in Bagh, ARY News reported.
It was revealed that a surgical bandage was left inside a woman’s abdomen for an entire year following an operation at the facility. Reports indicate that approximately 200 grams of bandages were subsequently removed from the patient’s body.
Taking swift notice of the incident, the AJK Prime Minister ordered the Director General (DG) of Health to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation into the matter.
He also instructed the authorities to identify those responsible and submit a detailed inquiry report to him immediately.
Earlier, the federal government has decided to restructure the administrative framework of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), ARY News reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
Sources said an administrative structure based on the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) model would be introduced at PIMS, requiring amendments to the existing PIMS Act.
Under the proposed reforms, PIMS will be administered through a Board of Governors comprising individuals from various fields, according to Ministry of Health sources.
The sources said the chairman of the PIMS Board of Governors would be appointed from the market.
A committee headed by Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has also been constituted to oversee administrative reforms at PIMS. The committee includes the law minister, vice chancellors of medical universities and health experts, sources said.
The committee has been tasked with presenting its recommendations for amendments to the PIMS Act within 15 days.
Sources said a special committee has already submitted its report and recommendations regarding PIMS to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The decisions concerning administrative reforms at PIMS were taken in light of the special committee’s recommendations, while the prime minister has issued directions regarding the hospital’s administrative affairs, sources added.
A 20-member PIMS Reform Committee was constituted on the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The committee comprised prominent health experts from both the public and private sectors, according to sources.