HFH rat biting incident : Four years on, inquiry still pending

Senior doctor moves court saying pending inquiry hindering his promotion.

RAWALPINDI: An additional medical superintendent (AMS) of the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) has moved the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench against Punjab health department for not concluding an inquiry against the hospital officials who were initially held responsible for an incident of rat biting a new born in labour room in 2012.

AMS Dr Tariq Masood Khan Niazi, through his lawyer Haider Mehmood Mirza, has approached the court saying the inquiry against him and 10 other HFH employees had been pending for last four years and had been affecting his professional career.

He maintained that he was not responsible for the incident and that the pending inquiry has been hindering his promotion into grade 20. Niazi has listed former women development department secretary and inquiry officer of the case Irum Bukhari as well as secretary for special healthcare and medical education, and secretary primary and secondary healthcare as respondents in the case.

A baby born to Rahila Bibi was bitten by a rat in the labour room on November 26, 2012. An inquiry, initiated the next day, held eight hospital officials responsible.

Following the findings, the Punjab government appointed Irum Bukhari as the inquiry officer on July 22, 2013, to start proceedings against the eight officials under the PEEDA.

During her inquiry, Bukhari also held the petitioner, former HFH MS Dr Fiaz Ahmed, and former AMS Purchase at HFH Dr Arshad Ali Khan responsible for the incident of rat biting in her interim report submitted on December 28, 2013. The petitioner came to know about the inquiry report against him through a letter written by the inquiry officer to him on October 22, 2014.

The petitioner has argued before the court that he was condemned unheard as the inquiry officer did not hear his point of view before accusing him.

Niazi said that he was appointed as focal person in the hospital to kill rats following the incident and he wrote several letters to the hospital administration with regards to action against rats. He said that the inquiry officer, citing these letters, noted that the petitioner knew about the presence of rats but did not take any action.

Niazi says the health department has stayed his promotion due to the pending inquiry against him.

The petitioner has requested the court to declare inquiry against him null and void and order his promotion to grade 20.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2016.