DOCTORS occupy a singular place in Pakistani society. A few professions command greater public trust and the title “Dr.” continues to carry immense social prestige. Yet that trust rests upon a surprisingly fragile legal foundation. Pakistan has more than 366,000 registered medical and dental practitioners, but it still lacks a comprehensive statutory framework governing medical liability, informed consent, patient autonomy and institutional accountability. While the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Act, provincial healthcare legislation and general principles of civil, criminal and constitutional law regulate aspects of healthcare, none constitutes a coherent body of medical law.

When a surgeon operates on the wrong patient, a laboratory issues a false diagnosis with life altering consequences, a hospital fails to obtain informed consent or an artificial intelligence assisted system contributes to a clinical error, what body of law governs responsibility? The answer remains........

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