Inquiry Panel Faults 9 Doctors Over Surgery Without HIV Screening

An inquiry panel convened at a Multan hospital has found nine doctors and administrative officials at fault for allowing a surgical procedure to be conducted without mandatory HIV screening of the patient. The findings represent a serious lapse in standard pre-operative medical protocols and have triggered accountability proceedings against the implicated medical staff.

The inquiry, whose findings were released Saturday, identified failures at multiple levels of the hospital hierarchy, indicating that the breach was not isolated to a single practitioner but reflected a systemic breakdown in compliance. The panel's report is expected to form the basis for formal disciplinary action.

Medical regulators in Punjab have long mandated HIV screening as a prerequisite for elective surgical procedures to protect both patients and healthcare workers from transmission risk. The failure to enforce this protocol at the Multan facility raises concerns about oversight mechanisms in public health institutions across the province.

Health authorities have not yet indicated whether criminal proceedings will be initiated alongside administrative action, or whether the patients involved have been notified and offered testing. The case is likely to prompt a wider audit of pre-surgical compliance standards at public hospitals in southern Punjab.