ISLAMABAD: After receiving complaints that non-registered medical devices were implanted on government officials getting treatment in different hospitals, the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) has decided not to reimburse the bills for such devices.

Moreover, because of the complaints that in some cases bills were submitted even though the devices were not implanted, it has been decided that the original sticker of the device would have to be pasted on the cash memo or the medical report.

In January this year, not only a huge amount of unregistered stents worth over Rs250 million were recovered from Mayo Hospital Lahore but it was also revealed that in some cases patients were falsely told that stents had been fixed in their arteries. The Supreme Court of Pakistan took a suo motu notice of the matter and has been pushing the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) and other stakeholders to ensure the quality of stents at affordable rates.

Moreover, it also emerged that there was no mechanism for the sale of stents due to which instead of selling through medical stores representatives of the companies remained present in the cardiac centres of hospitals and sold the stents directly to the patients without giving them any authentic receipt.

As a result, the patients never knew what kind of stent was fixed in their arteries.

Stents are small, expandable tubes that treat narrowed arteries in the body.

In people with coronary heart diseases caused by the built-up of plaque, stents can open narrowed arteries, reduce symptoms such as chest pain and help avoid a heart attack.