Public health: Family protests at THQ hospital, allege negligence

FAISALABAD:

Several residents of Mohalla Razabad on Monday protested against the administration of Tandlianwala tehsil headquarters hospital, alleging negligence which they said had resulted in the death of a woman during childbirth. 

Talking to newsmen, Amjad Lateef, one of the protesters, said Khalida Bibi, wife of Rashid, a daily wage worker was brought to Tandlianwala THQ hospital for childbirth.

He said Dr Rehana had advised her family to take Bibi to her private clinic where she would perform a caesarean section for Rs15,000.

“We asked the doctor to operate on her at the THQ hospital as her husband could not afford the expenses of treatment at a private clinic,” he said.

He said the doctor had ignored the request and left. He said in the meantime, Bibi’s condition had deteriorated.

“When we searched for Dr Rehana, we were told that she had left and would be found at her clinic only.”

He said her family asked the hospital staff to arrange a doctor to operate on the patient.

“Bibi was in a lot of pain and no doctor was available to help her,” he said. He said she died soon after.

The woman’s relatives and neighbours staged a protest demonstration in front of the hospital and chanted slogans against the administration. They said the doctor should be suspended from service and action taken against her. A City Tandlianwala police team met the protesters and assured them that the matter would be investigated and those found responsible would be taken to task in accordance with law. On this assurance, the demonstrators called off their protest and dispersed from the scene.

The City Tandlianwala SHO told The Express Tribune that the allegations were being investigated. He said no arrest had been made in this regard.

A spokesman of the Health Department told The Express Tribune that the Health EDO had formed a committee to probe the matter. “If the doctor or any other staffer of the hospital is found guilty of negligence, action would be taken against them,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 7^th, 2015.