Scuffle leaves Motorway Police constable dead

Security guard seriously injured; fight erupts as doctors treat expectant mother

LAHORE: A scuffle between the Services Hospital administration and attendants claimed the life of young man, while another suffered serious injuries and was admitted to hospital on Tuesday.

The story came to the fore when a video emerged on social media in which the hospital administration and attendants were seen slapping each other in the midst of hurled abuses.

Shadman Police Station House officer Akmal Khalid told The Express Tribune that the family of the deceased reached the police station on Monday night and wanted to register an FIR against some doctors. These included Dr Saira, Dr Salman and another for killing their brother Sunil Saleem and injuring several others.

He stated Sunil was a constable in the Motorway Police and the brother of patient Kiran Kashif, who had been brought to the hospital with labour pain. The SHO stated that an FIR has been registered against Dr Salman and a probe was underway. He added that the next findings would be revealed after a detailed investigation.

However, a source in the paramedical staff, who was an eyewitness to the event, revealed that the fight erupted late on Monday night. He said patient Kiran Kashif had been brought to the Services Hospital Gyneacology Ward Emergency where doctors decided to operate on her immediately. However, when the medics took the patient to the operation theatre and thoroughly inspected her, they decided that the newborn should be delivered naturally instead of through a c-section procedure.

Over this, the attendants of Kiran were enraged, he said, adding they believed the doctors were not interested in carrying out the operation as the patient belonged to a poor family. He added that family members, including Sunil Saleem and others, entered the operation theatre and started making a video of the quarrel with doctors.

The room soon turned into a battlefield and ultimately claimed the life of Sunil, while a security guard was seriously injured and admitted to the hospital in critical condition. Later, the rest of the family of the patient left the scene, while Sunil was restrained by doctors and locked in an empty room. The source claimed the detained man ultimately died of a heart attack.

When the other attendants of the patient learnt of Sunil’s death, they gathered and started beating other security guards.

A doctor at the Services Hospital, requesting anonymity, expressed his concerns over the security situation at the government-run medical facility. He said the lenient attitude of the administration towards hospital security put the lives of doctors and paramedics in danger. According to him, there was no innocent party in this incident as the doctors’ aggressive behavior added fuel to the fire.

He claimed that the Services Hospital was known for its regular brawls, while the administration had not taken any significant steps for the security of staff.

“The rude behavior of the administration has become a regular phenomenon,” he said. The medic stated that Services Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Ameer also seemed helpless in terms of tackling the situation.

Despite repeated attempts to establish contact, the MS of the Services Hospital did not make any comment till the filing of this story. However, a Health department spokesman also told The Express Tribune that no one was innocent in this case, whether it was the attendants or the doctors. He added the heath secretary had ordered a detailed inquiry and said that if anyone was found guilty from the hospital; the official would be punished accordingly.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2018.