LHC orders end to OPD slip system in Punjab govt hospitals

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has directed the Punjab government to abolish the traditional patient slip (parchi) system in all public hospitals across the province within four weeks to spare patients the inconvenience of obtaining registration slips and standing in long queues before receiving medical care.

In a written order issued on Friday, LHC Judge Justice Malik Javed Iqbal Wain directed the provincial government to introduce an effective patient-registration system and ensure that people arriving at hospital emergency departments and outpatient departments (OPDs) receive prompt medical attention without having to first obtain a slip.

The court stressed that emergency patients must be provided immediate medical assistance without any registration requirement and that effective measures should be taken to eliminate the existing system in government hospitals.

The order was issued on a petition filed by the Judicial Activism Panel concerning the provision of basic healthcare facilities in Punjab’s government hospitals.

The court also sought a comprehensive report from the provincial government detailing the basic medical facilities available at public hospitals, their quality and the measures being taken to improve them.

During the hearing, Special Secretary Health Nabila Irfan assured the court that the traditional slip system would be abolished within four weeks and replaced with a more effective patient-management arrangement.

The court noted that the petition concerning basic healthcare facilities had been pending since 2020, but no implementation report had been submitted despite repeated notices and directions.

It expressed concern over the failure of the relevant authorities to comply with its orders.

The court directed the officials concerned to submit a detailed report on the implementation of its directions at the next hearing and warned that action could be taken against officers responsible for failing to comply without a valid reason.

The move follows longstanding complaints about lengthy queues at public hospitals, where patients often have to wait to obtain OPD registration slips before consulting doctors.