Expired medicines have been found in both the outpatient and ward sections of Lahore’s Children’s Hospital, according to a report by the Punjab Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit. The report warned that expired drugs, including injections, pose a direct risk to children’s lives, and noted that they were neither destroyed nor stored safely.
The monitoring unit has ordered a full audit of hospital wards and pharmacies. The report also highlighted deficiencies in patient care, medicine supply, cleanliness, staff attendance, and hospital security systems.
It noted that the MRI machine is non-functional, causing delays in diagnostic tests. Surgical operations are also significantly delayed, with some children remaining admitted for weeks without examinations or scheduled procedures. Staff were reportedly rude to both monitoring teams and patients.
Multiple doctors, nurses, and other hospital employees were absent from duty. Patients are purchasing medicines from private pharmacies, and children’s laboratory tests are being conducted in private labs. The report also cited unclean beds, open trash bins, used syringes, unsanitary washrooms, and a lack of functional fire extinguishers.
