SHC Clears Robotic Surgery Procurement Pleas, NAB Route Left Open

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has disposed of two petitions challenging the procurement of robotic surgical systems for government health facilities, ruling that the main relief sought by the petitioner could no longer be granted because the machines had already been received, installed and commissioned.

The case centred on allegations that robotic surgery equipment was purchased at inflated prices for public hospitals, including facilities linked to Liaquat University Hospital. A two-judge constitutional bench headed by Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed noted that the dispute over pricing had already been brought before the National Accountability Bureau.

The petitioner, Khawar Mehmood Afridi, had named senior provincial officials, health authorities, private companies and others as respondents. He alleged that irregular contracts caused losses to the public exchequer and asked the court to cancel the procurement process while directing the government to focus on essential medical upgrades.

In its order, the bench observed that the question of whether the systems were acquired at exaggerated prices involved disputed facts that could not be conclusively decided in the court’s constitutional jurisdiction. The court said the petitioner remained free to pursue his complaint before the anti-graft watchdog and seek legal remedies if no action followed.

The respondents’ position, as reflected in the proceedings, was that the procurement had been completed after official formalities. The medical superintendent of Liaquat University Hospital had maintained that the price of the robotic surgical systems was announced by the provincial government after completion of the required procedural steps.

The petitions were originally filed in 2024, when the petitioner alleged that import documents showed a much lower declared value for the equipment compared with the price at which the Sindh government intended to acquire the systems. The allegation raised concerns about the gap between declared costs, tender pricing and the final burden on public funds.

Robotic surgery has been promoted in Pakistan as a modern medical intervention capable of improving precision and expanding specialised treatment at public hospitals. However, high-cost medical technology purchases often attract scrutiny because equipment, training, maintenance and service contracts can place long-term pressure on provincial health budgets.

The court’s decision does not validate or reject the pricing allegations; instead, it shifts the matter toward accountability forums better suited to examining contracts, import records, payments and procurement files. For Sindh’s health sector, the outcome keeps the installed surgical systems in place while leaving the financial questions unresolved.

The next phase will depend on whether the petitioner actively pursues the matter before NAB and whether the watchdog finds grounds for a formal inquiry. Any further investigation could influence how provincial governments structure future purchases of advanced medical technology and how transparently such deals are reviewed.