Within five days of being hospitalised, the patient’s condition became hopeless only due to the wrong diagnosis
SUKKUR: Doctors are responsible for saving patients. Recently, I had an unfortunate experience in which I witnessed the contrary. My friend’s father was ill with a minor cough and went to a private clinic for medication. Upon checking, the doctor referred him to a pulmonologist. The chest specialist, without even taking a chest X-ray, hospitalised him and medicated him with high doses of drugs, which damaged the patient’s respiratory system. After that, when the patient’s condition turned critical, the doctor refused further treatment and recommended taking him to Karachi for better treatment. The hapless patient died on the way. Within five days of being hospitalised, the patient’s condition became hopeless only due to the wrong diagnosis by money-minded doctor(s). Upon protest, doctors from the hospital staff, instead of admitting their failure in properly diagnosing the infection, chose to console the bereaved family, saying they were quite helpless when it came to divine will.
Sadly, many similar cases continue to happen across the country without anyone in authority taking much notice of these. I request the health minister and the authorities concerned to kindly legislate laws aimed at preventing doctors from playing Russian roulette with the lives of patients.
Riaz Mahar
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2015.
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