ISLAMABAD: The government has issued a formal notification suspending Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Executive Director Professor Dr Imran Sikandar for four months. The decision comes amid administrative action following a recent incident at the hospital.
According to the notification, Dr Imran Sikandar, a Grade-21 officer serving as PIMS executive director, has been suspended for a period of four months. Dr Muhammad Salman, the executive director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been appointed as PIMS executive director for three years.
Dr Muhammad Salman will continue to serve as NIH executive director while taking charge of his new responsibilities at PIMS. The move is part of a broader administrative reshuffle aimed at strengthening oversight and management at the major public-sector hospital in Islamabad.
The notification also includes the appointment of Dr Altaf Hussain as PIMS joint executive director for three months. In addition, the government has issued administrative orders concerning several other departments and officials at the hospital.
The action follows a decision approved by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after the PIMS incident. The prime minister had approved the immediate suspension and further proceedings against eight individuals, including the hospital’s executive director, as part of the government’s response.
Those facing suspension included PIMS Joint Executive Directors Dr Mutahir Shah and Dr Owais Ali Shah. Dr Nosheela Amjad, Assistant Director Security Muhammad Usman, CDA Emergency Services Director General Abdul Rehman, Neonatal Department head Dr Saadia Riaz and a senior registrar were also among those suspended.
