LAHORE: Multan Police on Tuesday identified as many as 30 to 35 individuals, including staff members from Nishtar Hospital, allegedly involved in the falsification of records related to kidney patients who were later diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
However, police officials have clarified that their investigation is limited to the tampering of medical records, as they do not have the authority to directly probe the actions of healthcare professionals.
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), in response to the government’s action against the medical staff, has expressed its support for the involved doctors, including the Vice Chancellor (VC) of Nishtar Medical University (NMU), Mehnaz Khakwani, who was among those suspended following the outbreak.
The scandal, which emerged after several kidney patients contracted HIV during dialysis at Nishtar Hospital, led to an investigation directed by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
During the inquiry, police discovered that private laboratories had tampered with records of dialysis patients under the hospital’s care, creating fraudulent backdated test reports to mislead authorities. A hospital employee, operating a private dialysis center, was found to have used government-supplied medical kits in his private lab.
According to a police official, the investigation was conducted under the supervision of a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). Approximately 30 to 35 individuals, including staff members from Nishtar Hospital, were implicated in the creation of these bogus records.
The police will forward their findings to the provincial health department, which is expected to take further action.
The PMA has strongly criticized the suspension of medical staff, including the NMU VC, following the scandal. During a press briefing, PMA leaders called the actions against the healthcare professionals “unjustified” and “inconsistent with proper procedures.” They argued that the inquiry conducted by the fact-finding committee was incomplete and full of inconsistencies.
PMA officials, including Lahore Chapter President Prof. Ashraf Nizami, suggested that the Punjab governor should reject the resignation of VC Mehnaz Khakwani and raise concerns about the manner in which the investigation was handled. They also questioned the adequacy of the Punjab AIDS Control Program’s guidelines regarding the testing protocols for dialysis patients.
Prof. Nizami also accused the provincial bureaucracy, particularly the health secretary, of mishandling the situation and failing to inform the Chief Minister properly about the real causes behind the outbreak.
The scandal at Nishtar Hospital has shed light on the systemic negligence within the healthcare facility. For over a year, the hospital failed to conduct proper HIV/AIDS tests on dialysis patients, and there were significant lapses in maintaining accurate medical records, putting patients at risk.
Earlier this month, it was reported that one patient died while 30 others contracted HIV/AIDS during dialysis.
