LAHORE: A detailed report submitted to the Punjab Healthcare Commission has revealed serious deficiencies in patient care, administrative management, and digital record-keeping at Mayo Hospital Lahore, raising concerns about service delivery at one of the city’s major public hospitals.
The findings, presented before the Lahore High Court, indicate significant gaps between the number of patients registered and those actually treated. On one day in April, more than 6,000 tokens were issued for outpatient consultations, but only around 3,600 patients were recorded as examined. A similar pattern was observed the following day, with thousands of cases remaining unprocessed or marked as pending.
The report also highlighted that a large portion of patient records—over 40%—was not properly entered into the hospital’s computerised system, pointing to weaknesses in data management and operational efficiency. Despite a substantial number of doctors deployed in the outpatient departments, patients continued to face delays in consultation and treatment.
Medicine shortages further worsened the situation. Of the patients examined on the reported day, only a portion received prescribed medicines, while a significant percentage were unable to obtain full or partial treatment due to limited availability at the pharmacy.
Operational challenges were also identified in hospital infrastructure. The backup power system was found to provide only a few minutes of support during outages, which was deemed insufficient for a large tertiary care facility. In addition, limited computer availability in some departments forced staff to adopt manual or improvised methods for maintaining patient records, raising concerns over compliance with standard procedures.
The report noted that delays in data entry disrupted coordination between diagnostic services such as laboratories and radiology, affecting overall treatment timelines and efficiency.
To address these issues, recommendations were made to strengthen digital systems, improve staffing practices, and ensure that consultants directly enter patient data using secure credentials. The report also called for increased availability of computers in outpatient areas and pharmacies, along with staff training to improve system usage.
The inspection team forwarded its findings to the provincial health authorities for further action. The report was submitted in connection with a legal petition, placing the hospital’s performance under formal review and increasing pressure for administrative reforms and accountability measures.