LAHORE: The conflict over closing down the Rs45 million defaulter pharmacy at Shaikh Zayed Hospital (SZH) was resolved on Wednesday when the Lahore police high-ups visited the health institute and sealed the pharmacy again amid tight security.

Lahore DIG Operations Ali Nasir Rizvi and SSP Operations Ali Raza held a meeting with SZH chairman/dean Prof Waqar Ahmad, resolved the matter and condemned the rude behaviour of the DSP concerned.

The Muslim Town circle DSP had carried out a massive raid at the hospital on Tuesday along with over 100 armed personnel in order to support the private pharmacy owner who had reportedly called 15.

The DSP had threatened the dean that he would not only lodge a criminal case against him but would also send him behind bars for sealing the pharmacy claiming that its owner had a stay order.

However, the SZH chairman had rejected the claim saying that the pharmacy owner brought a stay order from another court a few hours after the institute had sealed the facility.

According to the SZH officials, the administration had sealed the private facility when its owner withdrew the case from a civil court where the institute had challenged the stay order granted some six years back to the rival party.

Consequently, they said, the pharmacy owner had stopped paying rent to the hospital and the liabilities reached Rs45m so far. The hospital dean told Dawn that the DIG operations gave a sympathetic hearing to him and the other senior faculty members who apprised him of the background of the matter.

He said both the police officers were convinced when they observed the facts, adding that as the hospital staff reached there to take action, the pharmacy owner and his men again offered resistance.

On being informed about the incident, he said, the DIG operations called Iqbal Town division SP Usman Tepu who reached the hospital along with the local police.Prof Waqar said the hospital management and the police jointly sealed the pharmacy.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2023