The Lahore High Court has dismissed an LHC CT scan petition that sought to block Punjab’s plan to buy 24 CT scan machines for District Headquarters (DHQ) hospitals, allowing the Health and Population Department to move ahead with the procurement.
Constitutional Petition No. 66022 of 2026 was filed by Eastern Medical Technology Services. The court held that the petitioner had not shown any breach of the Punjab Procurement Rules, 2014, and that the purchase did not amount to mis-procurement. Judges also noted that the executive may shift towards in-house diagnostic and medical services for the public, and that technical, financial and policy choices sit mainly with competent authorities and experts rather than with the court substituting its own judgment.
Who led the procurement and who challenged it
Secretary Health and Population Department Nadia Saquib has driven the effort to place CT scan capacity inside 24 DHQ hospitals. The stated aims are stronger diagnostic infrastructure in public hospitals, less reliance on outsourced scans, and easier access for patients who need imaging in the government system.
M/s Vertex Medical emerged as the lowest successful bidder to supply Siemens-manufactured CT scan machines. Advocate Muhammad Zeeshan Akhtar represented Vertex Medical in the related legal proceedings before the high court.
PPRA review and the court’s findings
Before and alongside the court case, the Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA)—the province’s public procurement watchdog—examined the dispute. Managing Director Sahabzadi Wasimah Umar took part in that regulatory adjudication. Objections had touched legality, technical suitability and public-interest concerns, and the file had been contested in more than one forum.
With the LHC CT scan petition dismissed, the court declined to stop the purchase on constitutional grounds. That outcome leaves the department free to complete an initiative that officials link to competitive pricing and to building lasting capacity inside DHQ hospitals rather than depending indefinitely on outside providers.
What happens next for DHQ hospitals
If the procurement is completed as planned, the 24 machines would expand diagnostic services available at district headquarters hospitals. The court has not rewritten the contract terms; it has simply held that the challenge did not prove a rules breach or mis-procurement, so the executive programme may continue without constitutional interference.
Patients and local administrations will still depend on installation, staffing and day-to-day operations once the equipment is delivered—steps that follow the legal clearance rather than replace it.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Lahore High Court ne Punjab ki 24 CT scan machines ki kharidari ke khilaf petition kharij kar di hai. Yeh machines DHQ hospitals mein lagengi taake logon ko scan ke liye bahar kam jana pade. Court ne kaha ke procurement rules tootne ka saboot nahi mila. Ab Health Department is project ko aage barha sakta hai.
