Punjab Health Department has failed once again

Expressing concern over the rising death toll from toxic cough syrup in Gujranwala, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on Saturday slammed the indifferent attitude of the provincial government. A statement issued by the PTI said the rulers in Punjab were focusing only on politically-motivated projects. It said the provincial government had failed to ensure the health and safety of the citizens in its care. The statement said, “The incident reflects sheer lack of responsibility by the provincial government as the scandal comes after over 150 heart patients died earlier this year in Lahore after taking faulty medicine made locally.” A PTI spokesman said Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif should be held directly responsible for the tragic deaths, adding that in any other country, the minister would have resigned after facing so many health-related scandals. The PTI questioned the effectiveness of the 450 drug inspectors employed by the Punjab government and said that it was “ridiculous” that such a huge team had failed to curb the health crisis in the province. The party demanded immediate action to be taken to remove the counterfeit medicines from the market before any more lives were lost.