Nishtar Hospital is a teaching hospital of Nishtar Medical University, located in

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

, Pakistan. It is a tertiary care hospital, owned by the Government of Punjab. It serves a large population of South Punjab.

Accredited hospital

Nishtar Hospital is accredited by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan.

History

It is named after Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, former Governor of Punjab, Pakistan, a

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

activist, a celebrated companion of the Father of Nation,

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

. The construction of the Nishtar Hospital block started in 1953. The basic idea and its plan were provided by Dr. M. J. Bhutta. It started functioning with 80 beds on October 1, 1953.

Facilities

The hospital's total bed capacity currently stands at 1,850 beds. It has 24 departments and divisions, over 31 wards, a burn unit, an outpatient, and an Accident & Emergency Department, in addition to 15 operation theaters.

Administration

Shahid Bukhari has been the Medical Superintendent of the hospital since 2019.

2022 incident

In October 2022, it was discovered that multiple abandoned dead bodies which remained unclaimed, were stored on the roof of the hospital instead of proper burial. Later, HOD Anatomy Department revealed that the bodies could not be buried because of policy of handover of corpses to Police, which didn't take place owing to delay. horrific videos and images of multiple deceased people found on the roptop of the Hospital,

in a bad condition circulated on social media. After the pictures and videos came out, questions arose on social media that whose bodies are these and why they are lying helpless. Police and rescue personnel were blamed by a representative of the Hospital for the decomposing remains.

Investigation

Following incident, the Punjab government last night announced an investigation and required the Nishtar Hospital medical superintendent to provide an explanation within three days. A six-person committee was established by the Punjab government to look into the shocking incident. The South Punjab Health Department would get the results of the investigation. The preliminary investigation report was given to Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on October 13, 2022, who then ordered the dismissal of Dr. Mariam Ashraf, the head of the anatomy department at Nishtar Medical University (NMU), along with the suspension of three doctors, three hospital staff members, and two SHOs of the corresponding police stations.

References

{{Reflist Hospital buildings completed in 1953 Teaching hospitals in Pakistan Hospitals in Multan Buildings and structures in Multan Hospitals established in 1953 Nasreddin Murat-Khan buildings and structures