LAHORE – The Lahore High Court has ordered the traditional slip (parchi) system for patients in all government hospitals across Punjab to be abolished within four weeks.
The court ruled that patients arriving at emergency and outpatient departments must not be forced to stand in long queues to obtain slips and complete registration, and should instead be provided immediate medical examination and treatment.
Justice Malik Javed Iqbal Wains issued the written order on a petition filed by the Judicial Activism Panel. The court directed the Punjab Health Department to introduce an effective, technology-based system for managing patients in public hospitals, so that unnecessary delays, overcrowding and long queues at registration counters can be eliminated.
According to the court order, the petition concerning the lack of basic medical facilities in government hospitals has been pending since 2020. Despite several court notices and directions, no party has so far submitted an implementation report. The court held that the continued failure to comply with its orders reflects an unserious and negligent attitude on the part of the officials concerned.
During the hearing, Special Secretary Health Nabila Irfan assured the court that the traditional slip system in Punjab’s government hospitals would be abolished within four weeks and replaced with a modern and effective patient management system.
The court also directed the Punjab Health Department to submit a comprehensive report on the medical facilities available in government hospitals, their quality, and the steps taken to improve them.
The Lahore High Court ordered all concerned authorities to submit detailed implementation reports at the next hearing, warning that legal action may be taken against officers who fail to comply with the court’s orders without justification.
