The Lahore High Court on Thursday summoned the Punjab government, the Health Secretary, and the Medical Superintendent of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) to respond to claims regarding delayed and insufficient heart treatment for patients.
Justice Khalid Ishaq reviewed a petition filed by the Judicial Activism Panel, which highlighted significant delays in critical cardiac procedures at the state-run facility. The petition noted that patients requiring open-heart surgery face waiting periods of eight months to a year, with approximately 2,500 individuals currently on the bypass surgery waiting list.
Additionally, procedures such as echocardiography and angiography reportedly take two to three months, while CT angiography and thallium scans experience delays of three to six months. The petition also claimed that patients suffering minor heart attacks are sometimes discharged from the emergency department without proper care and are instead referred to outpatient follow-ups.
The petition urged the court to direct authorities to ensure timely and improved cardiac services at PIC, emphasizing that current delays endanger patients’ lives and force economically disadvantaged individuals to seek expensive private treatment.
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