SC wants audit of Rs37m given to scientist for producing heart stents

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday ordered an audit of Rs37 millions given to Pakistani scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand for manufacturing heart stents in Pakistan.  

Headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, a bench of the apex court, directed the authorities concerned to ensure that Pakistani stents are manufactured by the month of May at any cost.

The bench was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to the sale of substandard stents in the country.

The CJP questioned Dr Samar what became of the stents he had to manufacture and for which he was given a fund of Rs37 million.

He replied that as the chairman of the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) he had imported a machine costing Rs30 million from Germany in 2004 and around 10,000 stents were to be produced every year in Pakistan.

The entire technology was later handed over to the the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) for producing cardiac stents, he added.

The chief justice directed him to come up with a written reply to the queries put to him by the court about manufacturing of Pakistani stents.

He asked Dr Samar to spell out where did he spend the amount given to him for the purpose.

To a question, a federal law officer informed that the amount which was given to the scientist for manufacturing stents was not audited.

The apex court had taken a suo motu notice of the sale of substandard cardiac stents at exorbitant rates in Pakistan.

It had come to the light that some hospitals were charging up to Rs180, 000 for placing stents in heart patients.