Stop Playing with Patients’ Lives through Faulty IT Systems: Prof. Shahid Malik

By Farzana Chaudhry | Lahore, Pakistan
LAHORE: President of the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Lahore, Prof Shahid Malik, has expressed serious concern over the paperless software system introduced by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) in the outpatient departments of public sector hospitals across Punjab.
He said that previously patients were issued an A4-sized OPD slip on which doctors could write detailed prescriptions and clinical advice. However, the system has now been replaced with a small thermal slip, forcing patients to buy paper from photocopy shops outside hospitals to get their prescriptions written by doctors.
According to Prof Shahid Malik, the newly installed software system is highly inefficient. Hospitals are facing shortages of computer hardware, frequent internet disruptions and serious operational difficulties, which are causing long queues of patients in OPDs.
He added that the pharmacy system is also facing issues in dispensing medicines, thereby disrupting what was previously a functional and smooth process.
The PMA Lahore president demanded that officials of the Punjab Information Technology Board who introduced the system without proper planning and groundwork should be investigated and suspended immediately.
Prof Shahid Malik also urged Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, and Maryam Nawaz, Chief Minister of Punjab, to personally visit the outpatient departments of public hospitals to witness the difficulties being faced by patients.
He further stressed that the government should immediately restore the A4-sized OPD slip system instead of the thermal slip format so that patients can easily obtain proper written prescriptions from doctors.