PM Shehbaz orders probe into non-functional CTA machine at Pims after Imran Khan's visit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of a non-functional computed tomography angiography (CTA) machine at the cardiology department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims). The issue came to light after former premier Imran Khan was brought to the hospital for a medical check-up. The prime minister has since established a committee, led by the Establishment Division secretary, to thoroughly examine the matter, ascertain the facts, and determine accountability.

According to a senior doctor involved in the hospital's administration, the lapse occurred because Mr. Khan was brought in the early hours of Friday without prior notification, referral, or patient registration. The doctor suggested that Mr. Khan should ideally have been admitted during daylight hours as it was not an emergency, and proper registration procedures should have been followed. This lack of communication meant that not all departments were fully informed.

Sources at Pims indicated that while Imran Khan's CTA was recommended, the test could not be completed due to the unavailability of the facility. He was subsequently returned to Adiala jail. Reports emerged on Friday that although the required machine was available in the radiology department, this information was not conveyed to the medical team attending to Mr. Khan at the time.

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Ideally, Imran Khan should have been brought in daylight, as it was not an emergency case, and he should have been registered as a patient. All departments were not in the loop.

Doctors explained that the CTA machine at the Cardiac Centre had been non-functional since 2011. While conventional angiography, which involves puncturing a vein, was an option, the functional CTA machine, which uses radiation and is performed by a radiologist, was exclusively located in the radiology department. Another doctor confirmed the radiology department's CTA machine has been operational since March 2022, but no one advised referring Mr. Khan there.

Following the incident, Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri visited Pims and confirmed the machine's availability. The Executive Director of Pims, Dr. Rana Imran Sikander, was unavailable for comment.

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The CTA is performed by a radiologist on the advice of clinicians as it uses radiation rather than requiring a vein to be punctured. However, no one advised that Imran be referred to the radiology department.