Naseem Abbasi’s death: Family threatens collective suicide, doctors call off strike

Police given three days to arrest the responsible doctors.

RAWALPINDI:

Family members of a man who died due to the alleged negligence of doctors at Holy Family Hospital (HFH) have threatened to kill themselves if the police did not arrest the “culprits”.

Naseem Abbasi, a taxi driver, was brought to the hospital on May 13 after suffering a heart attack. According to the duty doctor, Naseem suffered a second heart attack during treatment and died. The family, however, allege that doctors pulled off his oxygen that resulted in his death.

Naseem’s widow Shamin Akhtar, his sister Rehana Bibi, and his younger brother Naeem Abbasi gave the ultimatum during a press conference at Rawalpindi Press Club on Sunday.

“We want justice, the doctors who killed my husband should be arrested and punished,” said Akhtar.

She said the doctors detained the body of her husband for five to six hours and only released it after taking assurance from them that they would not take any action against them.

“They threatened and forced me to sign a paper or put my thumbprint on a paper which said we would not take any action against them,” said Naeem Abbasi.

He claimed that the doctors snatched his cellphone when he was trying to contact the media. The family also staged a protest at Siddiqui Chowk on Sunday to press their demands.

After the protest the police arrested Naeem Abbasi and Abid Abbasi, against whom the doctors had registered an FIR for their role in thrashing doctors on Thursday.

YDA calls off strike

YDA, late on Sunday, called off their strike after a meeting with MNA Hanif Abbasi, Rawalpindi Medical College Board of Management Chairman Dr Muhammad Aslam, CPO Azhar Hammed Khokar, and Rawalpindi Police Commissioner Zahid Saeed.

After getting assurance from them that their demands will be fulfilled, the association took back its decision to withdraw services from emergency wards and outpatient departments of Allied Hospitals. A YDA-Police liaison unit has been set up to look into the matter. “The police also deputed 35 police officials for our security who will be there around the clock and the number will be increased if required,” said Dr Haroon.

Talking to the Express Tribune, Rawalpindi Police Commissioner Zahid Saeed confirmed that they had arrested Naeem and Abid.

He said, “We were not under any political pressure but refrained from arresting them earlier as the family was in pain after losing a family member.” He said that they asked the hospital management to do an in-house inquiry of the incident to learn what really happened.

Meanwhile, Aleem Abbasi, Naseem Abbasi’s brother, told The Express Tribune that the police had promised complete transparency in the inquiry.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2011.