Panel to probe into handwritten medico-legal certificates at five Punjab hospitals

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday constituted a committee to conduct an inquiry and fix responsibility against the medical superintendents of five major teaching hospitals over issuance of 4, 244 handwritten medico-legal certificates (MLCs) and 283 postmortem reports (PMRs) despite mandatory directions for their computerised issuance. The Punjab Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education (SH&ME) Department on Aug 25 issued orders, followed the Lahore High Court’s notice of the continued issuance of handwritten MLCs and PMRs despite departmental instructions and standard operating procedures requiring the documents to be generated through the computerised/online system. The government appointed Punjab Transport Authority Chairman/Transport Department Secretary Imran Sikandar as the inquiry officer to conduct proceedings against the five officers on charges of inefficiency and misconduct under Section 3 of the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (Peeda) Act, 2006. The inquiry will examine the conduct of Dr Faisal Masood Teaching Hospital Sargodha Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Sohail Khawaja, Nishtar Hospital Multan former MS Dr Rao Amjad Ali Khan, Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital Sialkot MS Dr Abdul Rehman Tariq, Services Hospital Lahore MS Dr Rana Khurram Aftab and Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital Dera Ghazi Khan MS Dr Mansoor Ahmed. Committee to submit report within 60 days According to the order, during the preceding six months Dr Faisal Masood Teaching Hospital issued 735 handwritten MLCs and 48 PMRs, Nishtar Hospital 816 MLCs and 182 PMRs, Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital Sialkot 1, 245 MLCs and 43 PMRs, Services Hospital 680 MLCs and Allama Iqbal Teaching Hospital DG Khan 768 MLCs and 10 PMRs. The figures amount to 4, 244 handwritten MLCs and 283 handwritten PMRs in the five hospitals during the period under review. The order says the hospital heads were responsible for ensuring compliance with directions issued by the Punjab government, SH&ME Department, Lahore High Court and Surgeon Medico-Legal Punjab regarding computerised issuance of documents. It alleged that the officials failed to exercise effective administrative supervision, monitoring and control to ensure implementation of the prescribed procedure. The issue had previously come under scrutiny after a manual MLC prepared at Services Hospital in a rape case was presented before the Lahore High Court. The court took notice of the matter and sought details concerning the issuance of handwritten medico-legal documents despite the prescribed computerised system. The matter subsequently widened to other public-sector teaching hospitals, with records showing substantial numbers of handwritten MLCs and PMRs had been issued during the preceding six months. The Services Hospital episode also led to disciplinary action against three female gynaecologists of the hospital for allegedly violating prescribed criteria and standard guidelines for medico-legal cases after a manual MLC was prepared in the case of a teenage girl. In the Nishtar Hospital case, sources said, Dr Rao Amjad Ali Khan had previously been removed from the post of medical superintendent on July 6. However, he obtained orders from the service tribunal cancelling his removal and continued working as MS till Aug 25, 2026. Despite this, Tuesday’s departmental order describes him as the “former” medical superintendent. Sources said Dr Rao’s earlier removal was linked to his failure to attend an online meeting on time. According to the sources, he reached late and was not allowed to join the meeting, following which he was removed from the post. Following a verbal directive to stop performing duties as MS, Dr Rao formally requested written directions from the vice chancellor of Nishtar Medical University to clarify whether the order stemmed from the competent authority or the administration, especially since his pending appeal before the Punjab Service Tribunal remained operative. In response, the VC referred the matter to the SH&ME secretary, forwarding Dr Rao’s application, the subsequent tribunal order, and the initial transfer directives, explicitly requesting prompt guidance to ensure due process and avoid further legal complications. The VC’s official communication was issued on Aug 6, the final reply from the secretary was still awaited to enable further proceedings in the case. The sources alleged that the government had been ‘unfair’ to Dr Rao in the matter. They also said that his retirement is due around November or December this year. Under the new orders, the accused officers were directed to submit their written defence to the inquiry officer within seven days of receiving the communication, explaining why one or more penalties prescribed under the Peeda Act should not be imposed on them. Failure to respond within the stipulated period will be treated as having no defence to offer and may lead to an ex-parte decision. The inquiry officer has been directed to submit his report and recommendations within 60 days of commencement of the joint inquiry proceedings. The Surgeon Medico-Legal Punjab has been appointed departmental representative in the proceedings. Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2026

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