PIMS doctors accused of poor behaviour

Regulatory body urges people to send complaints directly to them


APP January 22, 2018
Regulatory body urges people to send complaints directly to them PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD: Locals have complained that doctors at one of the biggest tertiary care hospitals in the capital have not been following standard procedures, alleging that doctors’ had adopted an inhuman behaviour towards patients in different wards of the hospital.

“No one in the hospital takes any responsibility for the care of patients with doctors mostly busy in convincing patients to visit them at their private clinic for proper treatment,” said Sherbaz Khan, a patient at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Sunday.

He added that patients expect medical practitioners to provide a quality of care which is timely, compassionate and respects human privacy and dignity.

Some observed that doctors ignored their medical Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) while some senior doctors are found to be absent from their posts during the day and patients are dealt with by trainee doctors. They lamented that despite being absent for the entire day, doctors are marked on the duty charts.

“Under the professional ethics code, medical practitioners are bound to avoid any non-discriminating attitude or exploiting vulnerable situations in the hospital,” said Aftab Qureshi, another patient admitted at Pims. He said that under the code of ethics prepared by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), gross negligence in professional duties may lead to suspension or removal from services.

Asadullah Khan, another patient at Pims observed that doctors at the hospital should be discouraged from using the hospital bed to seal ‘business deals’ with patients or other arrangements which include financial incentives from pharmaceutical companies.

“PMDC is committed to regulating the standards of medical practice, protecting the interests of the patients, supervising medical education, and give guidelines on ethical issues,” said a spokesperson for PMDC.

In the event of a complaint regarding negligence or malpractice by doctors, she said that the council takes strict action against the medical practitioner in question. She urged citizens to send their complaints against doctors directly to the PMDC.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2018.

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