Family of dead boy protests at Fawara Chowk

DHQ official says inquiry will be held into boy’s death

RAWALPINDI: After an 11-year-old boy died at the emergency department of the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) in Rawalpindi while receiving medical treatment, his relatives staged a protest in the hospital on Tuesday.

Nayyar had suffered fatal head injuries after he fell from the roof of his house in Hassanabdal around five days ago. His father had subsequently rushed him to the DHQ.

However, as doctors at the emergency ward of the DHQ tended to the boy’s wounds, Nayyar succumbed to his injuries and died.

After the boy’s death, his family placed his body at Fawara Chowk in Raja Bazaar and blocked one of the busiest intersections in the garrison city.

The protesting family accused doctors at the DHQ of sheer negligence in handling Nayyar’s case, ultimately leading to the boy’s death and asked the government to initiate legal action against those responsible.

Istikhar Ahmed, Nayyar’s father, told the media that doctors at the DHQ had only injected the boy with a drip after he was admitted to the hospital, as he accused doctors of not properly caring for his son.

Ahmed added that said that on Monday night, his son’s condition had started deteriorating. The boy’s father claimed that when he urged doctors to provide medical care to Nayyar, the doctors did not listen to him and allegedly remained preoccupied with their mobile phones.

The alleged delay by the doctors in providing medical care Nayyar allegedly led to the 11-year-old’s death, Ahmed claimed.

He added that he would approach police for legal action against the doctors responsible for his son’s death.

Meanwhile, the Medical Superintendent (MS) of the DHQ Dr Khalid Randhawa told The Express Tribune that he would launch an inquiry into the incident.

Dr Randhawa assured that action would be taken against the doctors if they were found to be negligent which led to the boy’s death.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2017.