LRH board chief flayed for keeping doors closed

CJP directs to open all gates of the hospital; committee created to resolve issues of young doctors

PESHAWAR: Dr Nausherwan Burki, the chairman of Lady Reading Hospital’s board of governors had to bear the brunt of the chief justice’s anger after he failed to comply with the court’s orders.

“Who are you Dr Burki who is not obeying my orders,” Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar thundered as a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Nisar and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard cases at the Supreme Court registry on Wednesday.

The chief justice, during a visit to Lady Reading Hospital, had directed to open gates of the hospital to facilitate the public. However, the hospital’s administration had opened the gate for a day before closing it again.

On Wednesday, young doctors told the CJP that Dr Burki was not ready to open the gate despite court orders.

“I have directed you to open the gate for the convenience of the patients, why you failed to comply with the order,” the CJP asked.

“Due to security reasons we have closed most of the gates of the hospital,” Dr Burki responded, adding, “I opened the gate on the day you had given the directions but it was closed again as I was of the view that you had only asked to open it just for that particular day.”

This only served to further infuriate the chief justice who asked: “Who are you to make such judgments?”

The chief justice subsequently directed Dr Burki to open the gates to the hospital within an hour.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10^th, 2018.