Alleged negligence: Protesters thrash doctors, block road

Family claims medical negligence; doctors say death natural, police refuse to register case against family.

RAWALPINDI:

Family of a man who died due to the alleged negligence of doctors at Holy Family Hospital (HFH) protested at Siddiqui Chowk in Rawalpindi on Friday. Muhammad Naseem Abbasi was a taxi driver and father of three children.

The doctors, meanwhile, filed a case against the man’s younger brother, son and others at the New Town Police Station Rawalpindi for thrashing doctors during the protest.

The Young Doctors Association (YDA) Rawalpindi went on strike by suspending services at all outpatient departments of Allied Hospitals, giving the government 48 hours to take action against the “violent protestors”, who, they said, also broke the windowpanes of the ICU and damaged other equipment.

YDA asked the provincial government to take disciplinary action against local MPA Ziaullah Shah and the police for not arresting the alleged attackers who beat up doctors on Thursday night.

YDA Information Secretary Dr Umer Saeed said, “The attackers included a former union council nazim belonging to PML-N. They injured three doctors at the emergency ward of the HFH after the death of Naseem Abbasi, who suffered a second heart attack [while he was being treated].”

The doctors demanded the immediate arrest of Naseem’s son and former Union Council Nazim Abid Abbasi.

According to information gathered from the HFH administration, Dr Khurram lodged a complaint with the New Town police that some 25 to 30 men attacked the doctors outside the intensive care unit after Naseem’s death.

YDA Rawalpindi Chairperson Dr Muhammad Haroon said the patient came to the hospital late at night and was in a critical condition. He added all possible treatment was given to him but he could not survive. He said the patient came along with members of PML-N, who threatened the doctors with their political clout.

He said that the doctors called the police but their refused to take any action against the politicos.

HFH Medical Superintendent Dr Fayyaz refused to comment on the incident.

Muhammad Naeem Abbasi, younger brother of Naseem Abbasi, said his brother felt pain in his left hand on Thursday night and drove to the HFH along with his wife and son from Double Road, where he lived.

He claimed that when Naseem reached the emergency ward none of the doctors paid any heed to him. The Medical Officer, Dr Khurrum Niazi, declared that he had had a heart attack and asked the attendants to take him to the other room and to get a slip from the emergency ward counter first.

“I requested doctors that we will get the slip but please examine the patient first,” he said.

When he was taken to the ICU, a nurse put on an oxygen mask which was later pulled off by Dr Khurrum, alleging that the family was misbehaving with the doctors. He asked them to take their patient away as they had no empty beds in the ICU, Naeem claimed.”During all this [commotion, my brother] took his last breath and passed away,” he said.

The sudden death of the patient shocked the family and they started protesting against the doctors. Naseem’s furious son tried to grab one of the doctors, upon which he was badly beaten by them and had to get stitches for a head injury, Naeem added.

Later more doctors were called as the ward became a battlefield. “I had five women with me who tried to protect me when the doctors were attacking me, but they also got beaten up and got their clothes torn,” Naeem said, adding that the doctors detained them for hours.

Three doctors were also injured in the brawl.

The police registered cases for criminal intimidation, obstructing public servants performing official duties and damaging public property against the protesters but are yet to make an arrest.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2011.