ISLAMABAD: Amid the controversy surrounding hospital selection by the government for a medical check-up of ex-premier Imran Khan, it emerged that he was reportedly unable to undergo a recommended CT coronary angiography (CTA), despite a functional machine being available at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).
When the PTI founder was brought to Pims in the early hours of Friday for an eye procedure and other diagnostic examinations, doctors recommended a CTA of the heart, but hospital staff reportedly said the facility was unavailable. After other tests, he was subsequently shifted back to Adiala jail without undergoing the test, which can help identify coronary blockages and assess the risk of a heart attack.
Taking notice of the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday formed an inquiry committee, headed by the establishment division secretary, to establish facts and fix responsibility.
The committee includes senior officials and medical specialists from the National Health Services ministry, AFIC and Pims. It may also co-opt additional members if required.
PM forms probe committee to ascertain facts, fix responsibility
The inquiry will determine whether Pims had the technical capability to perform CT coronary angiography since 2022 and whether the necessary equipment, software and staff were available. It will review CTA procedures conducted since 2022 and examine hospital records.
The committee will also investigate coordination between the Cardiology and Radiology departments, the hospital administration’s role, and whether patients were routinely referred to private centres. If such referrals occurred, it will examine whether particular facilities were favoured and whether public-sector revenue was diverted. The inquiry will further identify any administrative failures, mismanagement or communication gaps that contributed to the incident.
The prime minister directed the committee to submit a comprehensive report so that action could be taken under the law and relevant rules.
A senior Pims doctor claimed that since the patient had been brought to the hospital without prior intimation or referral and was neither registered nor properly coordinated with relevant departments, this lack of coordination contributed to the problem.
Sources said the Cardiac Centre’s conventional angiography facility was different from CTA. While conventional angiography involves inserting a catheter into a blood vessel, CTA is performed using a CT scanner and does not require puncturing a vein.
Doctors pointed out that a 128-slice CT scanner had been operational in Pims’ radiology department since March 2022 and was capable of performing CTA. The test is generally conducted by radiologists on the recommendation of clinicians. A senior doctor said the patient should therefore have been referred to radiology department.
During a visit to Pims after the matter surfaced, Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri reportedly verified the availability of the machine, while hospital officials offered different explanations.
One said cardiologists had been asked about CTA and responded that the facility was unavailable because the cardiac centre’s machine was out of order. The official said most CTA referrals had consequently gone to private facilities.
A senior administrator said the hospital had repeatedly received requests from the cardiac centre for a dedicated machine, which may have led staff to overlook the radiology department’s functioning scanner. He also said cardiologists had historically arranged CTA themselves and were not accustomed to referring patients to radiology.
Another doctor alleged that cardiac specialists frequently referred patients to private diagnostic centres, sometimes of their own choice.
Pims Executive Director Dr Rana Imran Sikander could not be reached for comment.
Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2026
