Who you gonna call?: Patient in coma allegdly due to negligence

Family says hospital took 3 hours to arrange an ambulance.


Ppi October 19, 2011

SIALKOT:


A mentally ill patient and her family protested against the Health Department after she nearly died because of the delay in an ambulance’s arrival on Tuesday.


According to eyewitnesses, the patient Nasreen, 46, was epileptic and was having a panic attack. “She was having a seizure but they had to wait at the hospital for the ambulance for over three hours. She nearly died,” said Nasreen’s brother. The family protested against the Government Allama Iqbal Memorial DHQ Hospital administration in Sialkot.

Village Pakki Kotli resident Nasreen, 46, is now paralysed and her family said that she could have been cured if the ambulance had arrived on time. A team of doctors led by Dr Shahid examined Nasreen and declared that her condition is now critical. Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Zafar Awan ordered the early referral of the patient to General Hospital Lahore. “The hospital’s only ambulance was called in but there was no driver and it took some time locating someone willing to drive them,” Awan said.

After waiting for nearly four hours, the grieved family said that there was no oxygen in the ambulance. “It took us seven hours to finally bring her to Lahore but by then she had stopped moving and the medical attendant told us she was paralysed,” her father Zafar said. Hospital officials said that there was only one working ambulance at the DHQ hospital. “There are no private ambulances and we have to make do with one ambulance for the whole district. This was an unfortunate mishap but luckily the woman is still alive,” said Dr Awan.

Additional MS Dr Javaid Warraich said that a strict departmental probe had been ordered into the matter and that those found responsible would be brought to justice. “The driver has gone missing. We are trying to locate him to question him about his absence,” he added.

Nasreen’s family urged the chief minister, the Gujranwala division commissioner and health authorities to take up the matter. “This is inexcusable. People die every day simply because the ambulance doesn’t arrive and someone needs to be held responsible,” Zafar said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2011. 

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