LAHORE: The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) on Sunday directed nine hospitals to suspend surgeries in 19 operation theatres and issued show-cause notices to 21 healthcare establishments for failing to implement the Minimum Service Delivery Standards and violating the PHC Act 2010. According to PHC spokesperson on Sunday, administrations of these hospitals have been directed to suspend surgeries as the operation theatres were not fit for carrying out surgeries. Moreover, show-cause notices were also served on nine hospitals for not taking requisite measures for the medical waste. From the Gujranwala district, four operation theaters of the Gondal Medical Complex were banned, two each of the Medicare International Hospital and Siddique Sadiq Memorial Trust Hospital and one of the Social Security Hospital. Three operation theaters of Al-Syed Hospital, two of Al-Ihsan Hospital and one of the DHQ Hospital of Rawalpindi, and two each of the City Hospital and Niazi Hospital of Lahore were also banned. These hospitals have been also served notices, and directed to submit written replies to the PHC. These theatres would be made functional only after their respective administrations would submit laboratory reports to the Punjab Healthcare Commission, ensuring implementation of the standardised measures in these theatres. The commission has also served show-cause notices on 21 hospitals, which included six of the Faisalabad district: Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology, National Hospital, Social Security Hospital, Government General Hospital, Independent University Hospital and Aziz Fatima Trust Hospital. The rest are: Lahore Fountain House, Faiz Memorial Hospital and Ashraf Medical Complex of Sargodha, Niaz Memorial Hospital, Mian Afzal Trust Hospital, Al-Raee Hospital and Sharif Hospital (indoor services closed as well) of Gujranwala, Bakhtawar Amin Trust Hospital and Khurshid Rafique Hospital of Multan, Ahmed Medical Complex, Begum Akhtar Rukhsana Memorial Trust Hospital and Medicare Hospital of Rawalpindi, and of Lahore are Naz Hospital, Ramzan Ali Syed Hospital and Family Hospital. Published in Daily Times, January 22nd 2018.