Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Monday directed its Registrar office to fix hearing of case of heart related drug deaths in Punjab on January 31 and issue notices to Attorney General, Advocate General Punjab, Federal Secretary Health as well as Secretary Health Punjab, PPO Punjab and DG FIA to appear and file replies.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan took notice on a note initiated by Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Judge Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding the news of the death of more than 90 heart patients under treatment in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) allegedly on account of either spurious drugs or wrong prescription of blood thinning and lipid lowering medicines.

Taking notice, the Chief Justice directed the office to register the note put forward by the brother Judge as petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, "as prima facie, it seems that provisions of Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution have not been adhered to strictly."

Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani in his note intimated, "The news of the death of more than 90 heart patients under treatment in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) allegedly on account of either spurious drugs or wrong prescription of Blood Thinning and Lipid Lowering medicines has been noted with immense shock and concern. The issue is indeed grave and has rightly raised public anger and a demand for action.

There is a news item which was published on January 30 that apprehending arrest of doctors posted in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has, in protest, given a strike call and has given their own version of the tragedy i.e. that those involved in the purchase of spurious medicines and their clearance from the Drug Attesting Laboratory are free but the doctors are being victims of the penal action.

In the same paper, there is a news that Pakistan Pharma Manufacturers Association (PPMA) has claimed that patients in Pakistan Institute of Cardiology (PIC) did not die due to the use of poisonous/substandard drugs but because of the wrong prescription of Blood Thinning and Lipid Lowering Medicines without due regard to the medical history of the patients concerned.”