LHC Parchi System Order for Punjab Hospitals
LHC parchi system orders will end the registration-slip routine in Punjab’s public hospitals within four weeks, after the Lahore High Court directed the provincial government to abolish the existing system. Patients will receive medical attention without having to obtain slips or wait in long queues at registration counters, The Express Tribune reported on Saturday, October 31.
Justice Malik Javid Iqbal Wains issued the directions while hearing a public interest petition seeking enforcement of the fundamental rights to life and healthcare, as well as implementation of superior courts’ judgments on basic medical facilities in government hospitals.
LHC parchi system order: what the court directed
The court directed the authorities concerned to implement an undertaking given by Special Secretary (Health) Nabila Irfan and to submit a detailed compliance report at the next hearing. That report must be supported by documentary evidence outlining the steps taken to replace the existing system with a patient-friendly mechanism.
The court also sought comprehensive reports from all respondents. Those reports must address the grievances raised in the petition and detail measures taken to ensure the availability of essential healthcare facilities.
The order noted that the public interest petition had remained pending since 2020. In those years, the petition highlighted persistent shortages of essential medical facilities and difficulties faced by patients seeking treatment at public hospitals. The four-week deadline now gives the province a fixed timetable to act.
What replaces the slip system
The court was informed that the Punjab Health Department would introduce a modern, technology-based patient management system. That system is meant to ensure prompt treatment for emergency cases and outpatients, while removing unnecessary delays from the process.
The change matters most at the hospital door. Under the parchi system, a patient or attendant first joins a queue at a registration counter to obtain a slip before treatment begins. Long queues at that counter delay care, and the delay hits emergency cases hardest. A technology-based system should register patients faster and let medical staff focus on treatment rather than paperwork.
The compliance report will show whether the replacement works in practice. Documentary evidence, rather than verbal assurance, is what the court has asked for, and the next hearing will test the province’s progress against that standard.
A court that keeps returning to hospital care
The Lahore High Court has repeatedly pressed the province on hospital treatment. Feature Pakistan has covered the court’s recent directions in related cases, including the order that the counsel for Noreen Niazi file a separate plea for medical treatment and family meetings, the transfer of Noreen Niazi to hospital for care, and the court’s decision to strike down a Punjab family pension rule. The election of Amjad Shah as Supreme Court Bar president also underlined how closely the legal community watches such orders.
The parchi order fits that pattern. It treats access to treatment as a practical question, not an abstract one, and it measures progress by what changes at the counter.
Frequently asked questions
What is the parchi system?
It is the registration-slip system in Punjab’s public hospitals, under which patients obtain a slip at a registration counter before receiving medical attention.
What has the Lahore High Court ordered?
The court directed the Punjab government to abolish the system in all public-sector hospitals across the province within four weeks.
Who gave the undertaking to the court?
Special Secretary (Health) Nabila Irfan gave an undertaking, which the court directed the authorities to implement and report on with documentary evidence.
How long has the petition been pending?
The public interest petition has remained pending since 2020, raising shortages of essential medical facilities and difficulties faced by patients.
*Source: The Express Tribune.*
