Family blames hospital for son's death

OPDs of two major Hyderabad hospitals shut for a day, doctors protest arrest of Dr Nauman Shaikh

HYDERABABD: After keeping the outpatient departments (OPD) at Red Crescent General Hospital and Hilal-e-Ahmar cardiac hospital in Latifabad shut in protest on Tuesday, the two hospitals resumed services that night.

Doctors and paramedics joined in the protest, which was sparked after the arrest of Dr Nauman Shaikh and a dispenser, Mahboob, a day earlier. The hospitals reopened and the staff returned to work after the police released Dr Shaikh.

The protest affected hundreds of patients in both hospitals, especially the cardiac hospital which receives the largest number of patients in Hyderabad.

The two hospitals were blamed for the death of a patient, 20-year-old Ahsan Gaddi, who died at the general hospital on Sunday. Ahsan's family allegedly attacked the hospital and damaged furniture and equipment, while also manhandling the staff.



Haji Muhammed Hanif Gaddi, the father of the deceased, accused Dr Shaikh and Mehboob of administering a wrong injection which suddenly deteriorated the condition of his son and caused his death.

On Hanif's complaint, the police arrested both Dr Shaikh and Mehboob on Monday, but the B-Section police station SHO Saghir Mugheri said the FIR was not registered because the police were awaiting Ahsan's postmortem report.

The postmortem was performed at the Liaquat University Hospital where the police shifted the body on the family's demand. The family says they want to register an FIR against the doctor, paramedic and the hospital. Meanwhile, the hospital's executive committee held a meeting on Tuesday and decided to register an FIR against the people who ransacked the hospital and assaulted the staff.