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       LAHORE: The Punjab health department has initiated proceedings under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (Peeda) Act against three staff nurses of the Mayo Hospital for administering shots of adulterated drug, which led to reaction to 16 patients and caused death of two of them.

       The department removed the nurses, namely Sonila Khalid, Saima Sehar and Nazia Hassan, from their positions and directed them to report to the Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Department till further order.

       The action was taken in light of the inquiry committee’s report, which was constituted after the incident at the chest surgical ward of the hospital.

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       “You were found negligent, committed malpractices while administering of powdered injections (reconstitution, dilution and route of administration) and bad dispensing practices of powdered injections (Ceftriaxone) on your part that led to drug reaction in 16 patients in Chest Surgical Ward of the Mayo Hospital Lahore (sic),” reads the notification issued to one of the three guilty nurses.

       It stated that the allegations leveled against the nurse stood proved to initiate action against her under the law.

       As the allegations proved true against the other nurses, the health department issued notifications removing them from their positions and initiated action against them under the PEEDA Act.

       An official said the incident has raised a question mark over the system of enhancing the skills and training of the staff nurses discharging duties at the wards of the public hospitals in the province.

       Under the prevailing practices, he says, the senior doctors just recommend medications, putting entire liabilities on the nurses to administer the drugs to the patients. Accordingly, the nurses administer medicines to the patients and the lack of training to follow the newly issued standard guidelines for medicines has blatantly exposed the entire system.

       The official says the guidelines and warnings are revised or updated frequently which require immediate attention of the health authorities to refresh the knowledge of the nursing staff. If not followed strictly, it may put the lives of hundreds of more patients at grave risk, he says. There were reports that the condition of some other patients who got shots of adulterated drugs is still serious.

       Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2025